PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


BV  85  .L65  1895 
Lonsdale,  Herman  Lilienthal 
1858- 
sht     Lent,  past  and  present 


f?%^^.',»?3irrai^,  'i^-s 


p- 


LENT 
PAST  AND  PRE  SENT 


A  STUDY  OF  THE  PRIMITIVE   ORIGIN   OF   LENT, 
ITS   PURPOSE  AND   USAGES 


BY 


HERMANN  LILIENTHAL,  M.  A. 


WITH   AN  introduction' BY 

JOHN  WILLIAMS,  D.D,  LL.  D., 

Bishop  of  Connecticut. 


flew  ]J)ot:ft 
THOMAS     WHITTAKER 

2  AND  3  Bible  House 
1895 


Copyright,  1895 
BY 

THOMAS  WHITTAKER 


THE  CAXTON   PRESS 
NEW  YORK 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE, 


Much  has  been  written  on  the  history  of  Lent, 
its  purpose,  its  uses  and  abuses.  And  still  there  is 
room  for  more,  and  the  present  volume  is  intended 
to  meet  what  is  believed  to  be  a  popular  want. 

There  is  always  danger  that  any  positive  ordi- 
nance, or  any  institution  may  come  to  be  considered 
as  an  end  in  itself,  and  not  as  a  means  to  a  great 
moral  end.  In  such  case,  the  means  are  in  the 
first  place  exaggerated,  and  then  in  the  reaction 
the  means  are  disparaged  and,  oftentimes,  aban- 
doned. It  is  a  matter  of  the  utmost  importance  to 
keep  the  balance  true  between  these  two  extremes, 
and  it  seems  to  me  this  is  accomplished  in  the  fol- 
lowing pages. 

Besides  this,  the  whole  "study,"  as  the  writer 
modestly  terms  it,  contains  a  vast  amount  of  useful 


4  Introductory  Note. 

information,  presented  in  a  plain  and  attractive 
way  ;  information  that  cannot  fail  of  being  practi- 
cally useful. 

I  gladly  and  cordially  commend  this  volume  to 
the  careful  attention  of  those  who  desire  to  under- 
stand the  history  and  uses  of  an  institution  which  is 
to-day  commended  and,  to  a  certain  extent  imitated 
in  quarters  where  it  was  once  strongly  denounced. 

J.  Williams. 

Middletown^  Conn., 
August  17,  1894. 


PREFACE, 


The  present  book  has  grown  out  of  the  needs  of 
the  writer  ministering  in  a  suburban  parish,  to 
investigate  more  fully  the  early  origin  of  Lent,  its 
purpose  and  primitive  usages  ;  and  inasmuch  as  he 
knows  of  no  single  work  which  covers  exactly  the 
same  ground,  he  ventures  to  hope  the  present  pub- 
lication will  not  be  found  unnecessary. 

The  Lectures  here  printed  were  delivered  as 
Sermons  on  the  Sunday  mornings  of  last  Lent, 
which  will  account  for  the  instances  of  direct 
address.     These  by  advice  have  been  retained. 

The  general  title  of  the  book,  "  Lent — Past  and 
Present,"  will  indicate  its  scope.  Not  only  are  the 
primitive  origin,  the  purpose,  and  the  usages  of 
Lent  traced,  but  an  attempt  has  also  been  made  to 
apply  to  our  times  the  principles  underlying  the 
institution  of  Lent. 


6  Preface, 

'  It  is  hoped  that  this  book  will  be  found  helpful 
to  clergymen  pressed  for  time  ;  to  lay  readers  who 
may  wish  to  give  connected  instructions  during 
Lent  on  its  origin,  etc.,  to  the  congregations  under 
their  charge ;  and  also  to  earnest  laymen  and  lay- 
women  who  desire  to  know  more  of  the  early  origin 
and  usages  of  Lent  than  is  generally  known. 

Owing  to  the  popular  character  of  the  book  it 
has  been  deemed  inexpedient  to  give  footnote 
references  for  the  many  quotations.  It  is  needless 
to  say  that  the  author  is  under  deepest  obligations 
to  Bingham's  Antiquities;  and  among  many  more 
authorities  to  such  fathers  as  St.  Chrysostom  and 
St.  Augustine. 

The  pleasant  duty  remains  to  the  author  to  here 
publicly  express  his  thanks  to  the  Presiding  Bishop 
of  the  Church,  who  has  most  kindly  written  an 
Introductory  Note ;  also  for  the  great  privilege 
which  during  three  years  the  writer  enjoyed  of  the 
reverend  prelate's  instructions,  and  for  many  other 
kindnesses  since  continued. 

H.  L. 
Wethersfield,  Conn.^ 
August  22,  1894. 


CONTENTS. 
I. 

THE    PRIMITIVE    ORIGIN    OF    LENT. 

The  variety  of  usages  in  regard  to  festivals  and  fasts. 
Study  of  their  variation.  The  Lenten  fast.  Some  of 
its  names.  Its  early  origin.  Probable  origin  in  the 
last  years  of  the  first  century;  reasonable  certainty 
of  its  origin  at  the  beginning  of  the  second  century. 
Origin  traceable  to  St.  John  through  Polycarp. 
Probable  original  length  of  the  fast.  Its  gradual  ex- 
tension to  thirty-six  days  and  next  to  forty.  Rea- 
sons therefor.  Ash-Wednesday.  Institution  of  the 
fast  ?  Whether  of  divine,  apostolical,  or  ecclesiasti- 
cal appointment.?  Summary.  Present  day  reasons 
for  the  fast.  .  .  .  .  .  13-35 

II. 

THE   PRIMITIVE    PURPOSE   OF   LENT. 

Originally  intended  as  a  season  of  mourning  for  the 
death  and  burial  of  the  Saviour.  Next  to  revive  the 
fast  declining  piety  and  devotion  of  Christians. 
This  decline  due  to  alliance  of  Church  with  State. 
Still  another  purpose  to  prepare  the  negligent  and  in- 
different for  the  Easter  Communion.  Also  a  time 
for  preparing  catechumens  >for  baptism.     Once  more 


8  Contents, 

a  time  of  special  discipline  for  penitents  who  were 
expecting  absolution  in  Holy  Week.  The  likeness 
of  the  present  day  needs  to  those  of  the  primitive 
Christians  render  necessary  the  continuance  of  the 
Lenten  season.  •  .  ,  ,    39-58 


III. 


LENTEN   OBSERVANCES. 

Diversity  of  usage  consistent  with  apostolic  liberty.  Dif- 
ference of  customs  in  the  primitive  Church  in  regard 
to  observance  of  Easter.  Reasons  for  variation  of 
practices  and  usages  in  ante-Nicene  period,  due  {a) 
to  the  Christian  faith  being  proscribed,  [b]  to  the 
consequent  need  of  non-publicity,  {c)  to  the  lack  of 
centralization  and  unity  of  organization,  and  {d)  to 
the  practical  necessity  of  local  self-government  of  the 
churches.  Nicene  Council  a  turning  point  in 
Church  organization,  and  the  nascent  approximation 
to  unity  of  usage.  The  Lenten  usages — chiefly  post- 
Nicene — considered  under  three  heads.  I.  Ecclesi- 
astical ;  II.  Civil ;  III.  Domestic.  L  Ecclesiastical, 
(a)  multiplied  services,  {b)  increased  celebrations, 
(<:)  prohibition  of  celebration  of  festivals  of  martyrs 
except  they  fall  on  Saturday  and  Sunday,  II.  Civil, 
{a)  cessation  of  law  business,  {b)  closing  of  the 
courts,  ((f  j  bodily  punishments  forbidden.  III.  Do- 
mestic, {a)  fasting,  {b)  prohibition  of  birthday  cel- 
ebrations, and  marriages,  (r)  abstinence  from  games, 
theatres,  etc.  Present  day  attitude  to  these  early 
usages  is  to  be  manifested  in  an  adaptation  of  the 
principles  underlying  these  former  observances  to 
modern  needs  and  environment.  .  .    61-86 


Contents.  9 

IV. 

FASTING. 

Difference  of  opinion  on  the  subject  of  fasting.  This 
practice  not  exclusively  Christian,  but  widely  adopted 
among  Orientals,  Mohammedans,  etc.  Fasting  dur- 
ing Lent  in  the  early  Church.  I.  Time,— how  long 
daily,  how  many  days  weekly  ?  II.  Food— varieties, 
quality,  quantity.  Examples  of  the  abuse  of  the 
spirit  in  observance  of  the  letter.  The  principle  of 
fasting  in  the  early  Church  one  of  great  elasticity. 
Its  purpose  twofold,  in  relation  {a)  to  the  individual, 
{b)  to  others.  Patristic  rebuke  of  the  abuse  of  fast- 
ing. Modern  application.  No  definite  hard  and  fast 
rule  possible.  Need  of  wide  allowance  and  adapta- 
tion to  circumstances,  climate,  modes  of  life,  etc. 
Fasting  but  a  special  application  of  the  higher  princi- 
ple of  abstinence.  ,  .  .  •    89-112 

V, 

HOLY  WEEK. 

Special  usages  of  this  week.  Names  of  this  week.  Gen- 
eral observances  of  the  week  {a)  greater  strictness 
in  self-denial,  fasting,  etc.,  {b)  greater  liberality  in 
almsgiving  {c)  week  of  rest  for  servants,  {d)  a  time 
for  manumission  of  slaves,  {e)  courts  closed,  (/) 
prisoners  liberated.  Observances  of  certain  days. 
Maundy  Thursday,  [a]  its  names,  {b)  the  practice 
of  feet-washing,  {c)  the  institution  of  the  Last  Sup- 
per, and  Evening  Communion,  {d)  the  public  recita- 
tion of  the  Creed  by  catechumens  for  baptism,  {e) 
the  solemn  ablutions  of  catechumens  preliminary  to 


10  Contents. 

baptism,  (/)  the  absolution  of  penitents,  {g)  day  for 
servants  to  receive  the  communion.  The  ancient 
usages  not  all  of  utility,  or  of  practical  application  to- 
day. Advice  of  Gregory  the  Great  to  Augustine,  first 
archbishop  of  Canterbury,  in  regard  to  the  adaptation 
of  diverse  usages  and  rites  to  local  needs.         .    1 15-135 

VI. 

HOLY   WEEK. 

Special  usages  continued.  Good  Friday,  (a)  Its  names, 
{b)  day  kept  with  great  solemnity,  fasting  and 
prayer,  {c)  day  of  general  indulgence,  [d)  the  practice 
of  the  administration  of  Holy  Communion  on  this 
day — ancient  and  modern  usage  contrasted.  The 
Great  Sabbath  {a)  its  names;  its  twofold  aspect — 
of  humiliation,  of  rejoicing  {/')  its  Lenten  aspect, 
strictness  of  fasting,  etc.,  {c)  this  night  kept  as  a 
vigil,  {d)  its  joyful  aspect ;  the  illuminations  of  this 
night, — their  significance.  (<?)  The  special  day  for 
baptism — reasons  for  this  practice.  Summary  of 
study.  Two  leading  thoughts,  ist,  Lent  depend- 
ent on  certain  permanent  principles,  and  2d.,  The 
usages  of  Lent  are  {a)  some  of  them  only  tem- 
porary and  therefore  may  be  disused,  {b)  some  appli- 
cable to  our  modern  life.  The  use  and  abuse  of 
Lent.  Use  of  Lent  in  two  aspects  {a)  to  the  indi- 
vidual, {b)  to  the  Church  and  world.  Abuse  of 
Lent.  Its  perfunctoriness ;  its  lack  of  continuity 
with  the  past  and  future,  etc.  Closing  exhorta- 
tion. ,...,,     139-161 


I. 

The  Primitive  Origin  of  Lent. 


LENT-PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


I. 

THE  PRIMITIVE  ORIGIN  OF  LENT. 

One  man  esteemeth  one  day  above  another :  another 
esteemeth  every  day  alike.  Let  every  man  be  fully  per- 
suaded in  his  own  mind.     Rojuatis  xiv.  5. 

TN  the  Christian  world  to-day  there  is  such  a 
■*■  variety  of  usage  as  to  fasts  and  festivals,  or 
to  absence  of  them  altogether,  that  the  minds 
of  many  might  easily  be  confused  as  to  their 
validity  or  utility.  One  Christian  body  claims 
right  for  its  usage,  another  for  its  usage,  and 
still  another  would  claim  liberty  to  observe  no 
day  of  festival  or  fast  whatsoever. 

What  then  in  the  face  of  this  diversity  are 
we  to  do  ?  The  course  most  reasonable  to 
take  for  our  guidance  seems  to  be  the  apostolic 
precept  "  Let  every  man  be  fully  persuaded  in 


14  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

his  own  mind."  We  may  premise  at  the  out- 
set that  we  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  usages 
of  other  Christian  bodies.  We  are  concerned 
with  our  own  festivals  and  fasts.  Are  we,  how- 
ever, fully  persuaded  as  to  their  authority  and 
their  utility?  If  we  are  faithful  communicants 
we  will  in  all  probability  accept  the  usages  of 
the  Church  of  which  we  are  members.  Yet, 
notwithstanding  the  Church's  appointment  of 
festival  and  fast,  we  wish  also  to  know,  if  we 
can,  the  reasons  for  such  appointment,  that 
when  we  are  questioned  by  others  who  keep 
not  our  days  and  esteem  them  not  as  we  do,  we 
may  be  able  to  give  an  answer ;  yes,  a  reason- 
able answer,  to  him  who  questions  us.  For  our 
own  sake,  to  confirm  us  in  our  attachment  to 
our  own  observances,  and  also  for  the  sake  of 
those  who  know  nothing  of  our  Church  and  her 
ways,  we  wish  and  ought  to  be  fully  instructed 
and  fully  established. 

It  will  be  my  purpose,  therefore,  during  the 
Sunday  mornings  of  this  Lenten  season  to 
study  with  you  the  origin,  purpose  and  observ- 


The  Primitive  Origin  of  Lent.  1 5 

ance  of  Lent.  I  shall  endeavor  to  study  the 
subject  historically,  forming  no  theories,  and 
twisting  no  facts  to  fit  theories.  If  theories  do 
not  agree  with  facts  then  theories  must  go. 
Any  study  to  be  worth  anything  must  be 
honest.  We  must  not  form  opinions  and  then 
try  to  fit  facts  to  these  opinions.  We  will 
endeavor  neither  to  stretch  statements  nor  cur- 
tail them.  Thus  only  shall  we  reach  any  result 
that  will  be  at  all  satisfactory.  The  search,  and 
the  end  of  all  inquiring  is  truth.  Knowl- 
edge itself  is  of  value  only  in  so  far  as  it  leads 
to  truth ;  and  even  faith  is  worthless  only  as 
it  leads  to  God. 

To-day  we  will  consider  the  institution  of 
the  Lenten  fast — its  early  origin,  duration, 
gradual  extension,  and  by  whom  instituted. 

L  But  first  let  us  consider  several  of  the 
names  of  the  Lenten  fast. 

The  earliest  name  given  to  this  fasting  sea- 
son seems  to  be  Quadragesima — the  Latin 
equivalent  for  the  Greek  term — or  the  Quadra- 
gesimal   Fast,  referring    to    its    length,    "but 


l6  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

whether  for  its  being  a  fast  of  forty  days  or 
only  forty  hours  "  is  a  point  on  which  differ- 
ence of  opinion  has  existed. 

Another  name  given  to  this  season  is  the 
Ante-Paschal  Fast,  referring  to  the  fact  that 
**  from  the  very  first  age  it  was  customary  to 
fast  before  Easter" — the  paschal  feast  or  pass- 
over. 

Still  another  name  is  the  one  with  which  we 
are  most  familiar,  viz.  Lent.  This  name  of 
the  season  is  supposed  to  be  *'  derived  from 
the  old  English  word  for  Spring  '  Lencten,  * 
meaning  perhaps,  the  time  when  the  days 
lengthen." 

Not  to  enter  into  a  more  detailed  examina- 
tion we  have  these  three  names  :  Quadrages- 
ima, referring  to  the  length  of  the  fast  whether 
according  to  hours  or  days  ;  Ante-Paschal  fast, 
referring  to  the  position  of  the  fast  in  the 
Christian  year ;  and  Lent,  referring  to  its  posi- 
tion in  the  natural  year. 

IL  Having  considered  some  of  the  names 
of  the  season,  we  are  now  ready  to   consider 


TJie  Primitive  Origin  of  Lent.  17 

the  origin  of  Lent.  The  earliest  reference  we 
have  to  it  is  in  a  letter  preserved  by  Eusebius 
in  his  Church  History.  Eusebius,  who  was 
born  about  the  year  260  A.  D.,  quotes  in  his 
history  (Book  v.  ch.  24)  a  passage  from  a 
letter  of  Irenseus,  Bishop  of  Lyons  in  Gaul,  to 
Victor,  Bishop  of  Rome.  The  letter  was  writ- 
ten in  reference  to  the  diversity  of  usage  of 
keeping  Easter  in  the  primitive  Church,  and 
incidentally  the  fact  is  brought  out  of  the 
observance  of  Lent.  "  For  the  controversy," 
writes  Irenaeus,  ""  is  not  only  concerning  the 
day  (i.  e.  Easter)  but  also  concerning  the  very 
manner  of  the  fast  (/.  e.  the  fast  before  Easter). 
For  some  think  that  they  should  fast  one  day, 
others  two,  yet  others  more ;  some  moreover 
count  their  day  as  consisting  of  forty  hours, 
day  and  night.  And  this  variety  in  its  observ- 
ance has  not  originated  in  our  time,  but  long 
before  in  that  of  our  ancestors."  Now  Iren- 
aeus,  the  writer  of  this  letter,  was  born  about  the 
year  130  A.  D.,  and  had  sat  at  the  feet  of 
Polycarp,  who   was  himself   a   disciple  of   St. 


1 8  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

John.  This  is  what  Irenaeus  says  of  Polycarp  : 
"  Polycarp  was  instructed  by  apostles,  and  con- 
versed with  many  who  had  seen  Christ ;  and 
I  saw  him  in  my  early  youth."  "  I  can  recall 
the  very  place  where  Polycarp  used  to  sit  and 
teach,  his  manner  of  speech,  his  mode  of  life, 
his  appearance,  the  style  of  his  address  to  the 
people,  and  the  accounts  which  he  gave  of  his 
intercourse  with  (St.)  John  and  with  the  others 
who  had  seen  the  Lord ;  how  he  used  to  repeat 
from  memory  their  discourses,  and  the  things 
which  he  had  heard  from  them  concerning  our 
Lord,  His  miracles,  and  His  teaching."  And 
in  addition  he  says,  "  These  things  being  told 
me  by  the  mercy  of  God,  I  listened  to  them 
attentively,  noting  them  down,  not  on  paper, 
but  in  my  heart." 

I  am  particular  to  observe  this  connection  of 
Irenaeus  with  Polycarp  because  it  gives  us  a 
hint  how  early  must  have  been  the  origin  of  a 
Lenten  fast.  Irenaeus  was  a  disciple  of  Poly- 
carp, and  Polycarp  was  a  disciple  of  St.  John. 
By  spiritual  descent  we  might  say  Irenaeus  was 


The  Primitive  Origin  of  Lent.  19 

a  spiritual  grandson  of  the  beloved  disciple  St. 
John.  In  this  letter  to  Victor  we  further 
notice,  the  writer  says  of  the  observance  of 
Lent,  it  "  has  not  originated  in  our  time  ;  but 
long  before  in  that  of  our  ancestors."  Now  as 
Polycarp  was  the  teacher  of  Irenseus,  we  may 
safely  say  that  a  Lenten  fast  must  have  been 
observed  as  early  as  the  time  of  this  teacher, 
and  this  teacher  lived  in  the  later  years  of  St. 
John  the  apostle.  Again,  if  ''  ancestors  "  refers 
back  to  more  than  one  generation,  we  have 
then  the  Lenten  fast  referred  back  to  St.  John, 
the  teacher  of  Irenaeus.  It  seems  reasonable 
and  worthy  of  credit  therefore,  that  some 
Lenten  or  ante-paschal  fast  was  an  established 
custom  at  least  as  early  as  the  beginning  of 
the  second  century,  and  perhaps  earlier,  at  the 
close  of  the  first  century  in  the  last  years  of 
the  beloved  disciple  himself. 

The  place  of  institution  of  this  fast,  connect- 
ing it  as  we  do  with  St.  John,  was,  we  may 
believe,  in  the  East,  in  Ephesus  and  the  cities 
adjacent. 


20  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

Again,  we  have  evidence  of  the  early  origin 
of  the  Lenten  fast  in  the  writings  of  TertuUian, 
who  lived  in  the  second  and  third  centuries, 
and  who  after  his  perversion  to  Montanism,  in 
controversy  with  the  primitive  Church  about 
fasts,  chides  it  for  keeping  only  the  two  days 
before  Easter.  We  hear  again  of  the  observ- 
ance of  Lent  by  the  allusion  of  the  First 
General  Council  held  in  325  A.  D.,  and  the 
reference  to  Lent  by  this  Council  tends  to  con- 
firm us  in  the  belief  that  this  season  had 
already  been  long  established.  In  the  fifth 
canon  of  this  Council  concerning  excommuni- 
cation, in  order  that  this  discipline  may  not  be 
arbitrarily  exercised,  it  is  advised  that  two 
synods  be  held  in  a  year  when  questions  of 
discipline  might  be  reviewed.  In  determining 
the  time  when  these  synods  shall  be  held  the 
canon  says,  ''  Let  one  synod  be  held  before 
Lent,"  or,  according  to  the  Latinized  form  of 
the  original  Greek,  before  the  Quadragesimal 
Fast. 

After  this  First  Council  had  concluded  its 


The  Primitive  Origin  of  Lent.  21 

deliberations  the  Emperor  Constantine  wrote 
an  encyclical  letter  to  the  bishops  of  the 
Church  urging  uniformity  in  the  observance  of 
Easter,  and  from  this  letter  we  indirectly  learn 
of  the  universal  practice  of  an  ante-paschal 
fast.  Thus  the  Emperor  writes,  "  Let  your 
pious  sagacity,  {i.  e.  the  bishop)  reflect  how 
evil  and  improper  it  is,  that  days  devoted  by 
some  to  fasting  should  be  spent  by  others  in 
convivial  feasting ;  and  that  after  the  paschal 
feast,  some  are  rejoicing  in  festivals  and  relax- 
ations, while  others  give  themselves  up  to  the 
appointed  fasts."  By  the  year  325  A.  D.  we 
may  say  the  observance  of  the  Lenten  fast 
was  universal  in  the  Church.  Its  earliest  origin, 
as  we  have  seen,  may  reach  as  far  back  as  to 
the  later  years  of  the  apostle  St.  John;  but  if 
this  early  date  be  questioned,  then  certainly  to 
the  generation  of  Christians  immediately  suc- 
ceeding the  apostle  one  of  whose  disciples  was 
Polycarp.  We  may  safely  say  that  a  Lenten 
or  ante-paschal  fast  of  some  kind  has  been 
observed  continuously  in  the  Christian  Church 


22  Lent — Past  a?id  Present. 

from  the  beginning  of  the  second  century  down 
to  our  time. 

III.  We  have  already  seen  from  the  letter 
of  Irenaeus  that  there  was  a  difference  of  usage 
as  to  the  time  of  keeping,  and  also  as  to  the 
length  of  the  fast.  Let  us  now  observe  what 
was  presumably  the  original  duration  of  the 
fast,  and  how  it  has  been  developed  to  its 
present  length. 

The  early  historians  notice  diversity  of 
usage  in  regard  to  the  fast ;  still  they  lead  us  to 
think  that  originally  the  Lenten  fast  was  but 
forty  hours  long,  begun  about  twelve  on  Friday 
before  Easter,  /.  e.  Good  Friday,  and  continued 
till  Sunday  morning,  the  time  of  our  Saviour's 
resurrection.  Irenseus,  whom  we  have  already 
mentioned,  refers  to  this  fast  as  '^  the  fast  of 
forty  hours  before  Easter.'*  It  perhaps  is  only 
right  to  notice  that  a  difference  of  punctuation 
of  this  passage  from  Irenaeus  gives  us  a  differ- 
ent interpretation,  viz.  that  the  fast  was  of 
forty  days,  but  the  general  concensus  of  modern 
scholars  interpreting  with  the  light  of  the  his- 


The  Primitive  Origin  of  Lent.  23 

torical  development  of  this  season  thrown  upon 
this  passage,  favors  the  rendering  "  forty  hours  " 
rather  than  "  forty  days." 

TertuUian  also  refers  to  the  Lenten  fast  as 
coinciding  with  the  two  days,  the  time  our 
Lord  lay  in  the  sepulchre,  and  his  allusion  to 
this  period  leads  us  to  think  that  in  his  day  the 
ante-paschal  fast  was  not  of  more  than  forty 
hours  in  length.  We  may  well  believe  that 
the  Church,  even  from  apostolic  times,  observed 
this  season,  basing  the  fast,  as  TertuUian  and 
others  tell  us,  on  the  words  of  our  Lord,  '*  The 
days  will  come  that  the  Bridegroom  shall  be 
taken  from  them  and  then  shall  they  fast." 
Our  examination  seems  so  far  to  establish  the 
view  that  at  the  first  the  Lenten  fast  extended 
only  over  about  forty  hours. 

Without  being  able  to  trace  the  gradual  in- 
crease in  length  of  this  season,  we  notice  that 
by  the  end  of  the  third  and  beginning  of  the 
fourth  century  the  Lenten  fast  had  greatly 
lengthened  ;  but  even  so,  though  the  practice  of 
a  fast  was  universal,  there  was  no  absolute  unifor- 


24  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

mity  as  to  its  duration.  The  historian  Socrates 
writes,  "  One  may  observe  how  the  ante-paschal 
fast  is  differently  observed  by  men  of  different 
churches.  The  Romans  fast  three  weeks  before 
Easter,  only  the  Sabbaths  and  Lord's  Days 
excepted  ;  the  Illyrians  and  all  Greece  and  the 
Alexandrians  fast  six  weeks  ;  others  {i.  e.  the 
Church  of  Constantinople)  begin  their  fast  seven 
weeks  before  Easter,  but  only  fast  fifteen  days 
by  intervals." 

Cassian,  another  historian,  tells  us,  "  Though 
some  churches  kept  their  Lent  six  weeks,  and 
some  seven,  yet  none  of  them  made  their  fast 
above  thirty-six  days  in  the  whole."  Yet  not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  the  various  churches 
had  different  periods  for  their  fast,  they  all 
called  it  the  Quadragesimal  Fast.  So  the  name 
Quadragesima  is  by  no  means  proof  positive  of 
the  belief  of  some,  that  the  fast  was  always  one 
of  forty  days.  In  fact,  as  we  have  just  seen, 
Cassian  says  none  "'  made  their  fast  above 
thirty-six  days  in  the  whole,"  and  the  reason 
given  for  this  period  of  observance  was  that  it 


The  Primitive  Origin  of  Lent.  25 

was  one  tenth  of  the  year,  a  tithe  of  time  which 
should  be  devoted  to  God.  As  Christians 
tithed  their  alms  so  should  they  tithe  their 
year. 

But  the  variation  in  the  number  of  weeks 
kept  by  different  churches  leads  us  to  consider 
the  way  in  which  the  fast  was  computed. 
Thus  those  who  kept  six  weeks  reckoned  only 
thirty-six  days  for  their  fast,  for  from  the 
forty-two  days  of  six  weeks  was  deducted  the 
six  Sundays,  thus  leaving  but  thirty-six  days. 
Again,  those  churches  which  kept  seven  weeks 
kept  only  thirty-six  fasting  days :  for  though 
seven  weeks  give  us  forty-nine  days,  yet  all 
the  Saturdays — the  Saturday  before  Easter 
being  excepted — as  well  as  Sundays  were  taken 
out ;  thus  thirteen  days  were  deducted  from 
the  forty-nine  days,  which  still  made  the  fast 
one  of  thirty-six  days.  It  was  the  Eastern 
Church  rather  than  the  Western  which  kept  a 
greater  number  of  weeks,  because  in  the  Eastern 
Church  Saturday — the  great  Sabbath  excepted 
■ — has   never  been  a  fast  day,   not  even  in  the 


26  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

Lenten  season.  This  accounts  for  the  Lenten 
fast  beginning  earlier  in  the  Eastern  than  in  the 
Western  Church,  and  so  lasting  through  a 
greater  number  of  weeks,  though  the  actual 
number  of  fasting  days  was  the  same. 

It  is  interesting  to  observe  the  reason  given 
by  St.  Chrysostom  for  the  exception  of  Satur- 
days and  Sundays  from  fasting.  ''As  there 
are  stations,"  says  he,  ''and  inns  in  the  public 
roads,  for  weary  travellers  to  refresh  themselves, 
and  rest  from  their  labors,  that  they  may  more 
cheerfully  go  on  again  in  their  journey  ;  and 
as  in  the  sea  there  are  shores  and  havens  for 
seamen  to  betake  themselves  to,  when  they  are 
in  a  storm,  and  refresh  themselves  from  the 
violence  of  the  winds,  and  then  begin  sailing 
again  ;  so  the  Lord  hath  appointed  these  two 
days  (Saturday  and  Sunday)  in  the  week,  as 
stations,  and  inns,  and  shores,  and  havens,  for 
those  to  rest  in  who  have  taken  upon  them  the 
course  of  fasting  in  this  holy  time  of  Lent,  that 
they  may  refresh  their  bodies  a  little  from  the 
labor  of  fasting,  and  recreate  their  minds,  and 


The  Primitive  Origiii  of  Lent.  27 

after  the  two  days  are  past,  to  go  on  again  with 
cheerfulness  in  the  journey  which  they  have 
begun." 

But  to  return  to  the  extension  of  this  season 
the  next  advance  is  to  the  exact  period  of 
forty  days  which  now  prevails  throughout  west- 
ern Christendom.  Who  added  Ash-Wednes- 
day and  the  three  days  following  it  to  the  be- 
ginning of  Lent  in  the  Western  Church  so  as  to 
make  the  season  exactly  forty  days  is  not  unan- 
imously agreed  upon  by  historians.  "  Some 
say  it  was  the  work  of  Gregory  the  Great,  but 
others  ascribe  it  to  Gregory  II.,  who  lived  over 
a  hundred  years  later. "  But  whichever  of  these 
Bishops  added  the  four  extra  days,  they  are  an 
addition  made  to  the  season  some  time  after  it 
had  been  an  established  usage  of  the  Church  to 
observe  a  Lenten  fast,  as  Cassian  has  told  us,  of 
only  thirty-six  days.  If  the  four  extra  days 
were  added  by  Gregory  L,  the  Lent  fast  of  forty 
days  would  not  be  earlier  than  the  close  of  the 
sixth  or  beginning  of  the  seventh  century.  If 
the  change  was  made  by  Gregory  II.,  then  the 


28  Le7it — Past  and  Present. 

practice  of  a  Lent  fast  of  forty  days  does  not 
antedate  715  A.  D. 

But  we  may  see  a  reason  for  the  change  from 
thirty-six  days — the  tithe  of  the  year — to  forty 
days.  Forty  days  is  a  period  that  occurs 
frequently  in  the  Bible  as  a  time  of  fasting  and 
prayer.  Moses  when  first  he  went  up  into  the 
mount  to  receive  the  Law  says  of  himself,  ''  I 
abode  in  the  mount  forty  days  and  forty  nights. 
I  neither  did  eat  bread  nor  drink  water." 
Again  he  says  of  himself  after  he  had  broken 
the  two  Tables  of  the  Law  because  of  the 
idolatry  of  his  people,  "■  And  I  fell  down  before 
the  Lord  as  at  the  first,  forty-days  and  forty 
nights,  I  did  neither  eat  bread  nor  drink  water, 
because  of  all  your  sins  which  ye  sinned."  So 
too  it  is  inferred  by  many  that  Elijah  fasted 
forty  days  after  he  had  twice  eaten  of  food 
prepared  for  him  by  an  angel,  "  and  went  in  the 
strength  of  that  meat  forty  days  and  forty 
nights  unto  Horeb  the  mount  of  God."  Briefly 
to  instance  a  few  more  Old  Testament  examples 
of  this  number  forty  :     "  This  was  the  number  of 


The  Primitive  Origin  of  Lent.  29 

days  God  covered  the  earth  with  the  deluge  ; 
this  the  number  of  years  in  which  the  children 
of  Israel  did  penance  in  the  wilderness  ;  and  the 
Ninevites  had  this  number  of  days  allowed  for 
their  repentance."  But  chiefly  is  the  parallel 
found  in  the  life  of  our  Lord,  who,  led  up  of 
the  spirit  into  the  wilderness  to  be  tempted 
of  the  devil,  "  fasted  forty  days  and  forty 
nights."  The  change  then  which  was  made 
from  thirty-six  to  forty  days  we  may  believe 
was  based  on  the  scriptural  analogies  which 
have  been  quoted,  and  which  at  the  same  time 
made  the  number  of  days  agree  with  the  name 
of  the  season  itself — Quadragesima — a  name 
which  notwithstanding  the  variation  in  the 
length  of  the  season  in  different  sections  of  the 
primitive  Church,  was  indifferently  applied. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  briefly  state  how  the 
forty  days'  fast  is  computed.  Ash-Wednes- 
day to  Easter — a  period  of  six  weeks  and  four 
days — gives  us  forty-six  days,  from  which  num- 
ber of  days  are  subtracted  the  six  Sundays  in 
Lent,  thus  giving  us  the  Lenten  fast  of  forty 
days. 


30  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

Here  too  a  word  may  be  permitted  as  to  the 
origin  of  the  word  Ash-Wednesday.  We  have 
learned  that  originally  there  was  no  Ash- 
Wednesday  connected  with  the  Lenten  fast. 
This  day  was  not  added,  at  the  earliest,  until 
the  time  of  Gregory  I.,  and  it  derives  its  name 
from  the  custom  which  was  instituted  at  the 
time  the  day  was  added  of  sprinkling  ashes 
upon  the  heads  of  penitents  to  remind  them  of 
their  mortality.  Further,  as  to  this  practice 
we  are  led  to  believe  that  ashes  were  not 
sprinkled  upon  all  the  worshippers,  but  only  on 
the  heads  of  those  who  were  penitents,  and 
were  under  sentence  of  ecclesiastical  discipline. 

IV.  We  are  now  in  a  position  to  come  to  the 
question  of  the  institution  of  the  fast.  Is  it  of 
divine,  apostolic,  or  ecclesiastical  institution  ? 
As  to  its  divine  institution  we  may  perhaps 
say  that  if  the  word  divine  is  limited  to  verbal 
scriptural  precept,  then  the  fast  as  we  observe 
it  to-day  cannot  claim  for  itself  divine  institu- 
tion. Next  we  ask  what  is  meant  by  apostolic 
institution?     If  by  this  term  be  meant  a  posi- 


The  Primitive  Origin  of  Lent.  31 

tive  precept  of  the  apostles,  again  we  may  say 
that  there  is  no  such  direct  injunction  left  to 
us.  Further,  the  widely  varying  length  of  the 
fast  in  the  early  Church  would  also  preclude 
any  apostolical  directions.  There  is  left  then  the 
third  alternative — the  ecclesiastical  institution 
of  this  fast.  Historically  we  notice  that  "  from 
the  first  age  of  the  Christian  Church  it  was 
customary  to  fast  before  Easter,"  a  custom 
which  may  be  reasonably  supposed  to  be 
derived  from  scriptural  precedent  and  apos- 
tolic practice,  yet  without  positive  scriptural  or 
apostolic  injunction.  St.  Augustine's  summary 
of  the  question  may  assist  us  here.  He  says, 
that  *'  the  authority  and  foundation  which  the 
Lent-fast  has  out  of  the  Gospel,  is  the  same  that 
it  has  out  of  the  Old  Testament,  which  was  not 
any  precept,  but  the  example  of  Moses  and 
Elias.  And  second,  that  the  Lent-fast  is  owing 
to  the  councils  of  the  fathers  and  the  custom 
of  the  Church,  in  like  manner  as  the  eight  days 
of  the  neophytes  and  the  fifty  days  of  Pen- 
tecost   owe   their    observation    to    the    same 


32  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

original."  This  clearly  points  to  the  ecclesias- 
tical institution  of  the  Lenten-fast.  To  sum 
up,  we  may  say  that  the  fact  of  some  fast  of 
varying  length  before  Easter  has  since  apostolic 
days  been  observed  in  God's  Church  ;  but  that 
its  duration  is  nowhere  definitely  laid  down,  this 
detail  being  left  to  the  several  churches.  But 
little  by  little  changes  were  made  until  at  the 
last  in  the  Western  Church  either  in  the  seventh 
or  eighth  century  the  season  practically  as  we 
observe  it  to-day  was  fixed. 

V.  Let  me  now  in  closing  briefly  summarize 
what  we  have  gathered  from  our  study  of  the 
origin  of  Lent. 

Some  fast  can  be  traced  to  the  beginning  of 
the  second  century  if  not  to  the  close  of  the  first, 
and  so  would  seem  to  be  of  apostolic  practice 
and  perhaps  precept,  though  we  have  no 
authentic  record  of  its  apostolic  institution. 

This  fast  has  among  other  appellations  been 
known  by  the  names  of  Quadragesima,  the 
Ante-Paschal  Fast,  and  Lent. 

Its  length  has  varied,  extending  at  the  first 


The  Primitive  Origin  of  Lent,  33 

presumably  from  Good  Friday  and  ending 
Easter  morning — about  forty  hours.  In  time 
this  period  was  lengthened  to  thirty-six  days, 
and  still  later  in  the  seventh  or  eighth  century 
to  forty  days. 

To  draw  now  a  few  practical  conclusions,  if 
anyone  should  ask  me  "  Why  do  you  keep 
Lent  ?  seeing  that  you  yourself  acknowl- 
edge there  is  no  direct  scriptural  injunction 
therefor,"  my  answer  would  be  that  since  the 
days  of  the  apostles  the  Church  of  God  through- 
out the  world  has  observed  a  fast  preceding 
Easter.  Its  length  I  grant  has  varied,  but  now 
for  about  1300  years  in  Western  Christendom 
ecclesiastical  usage  has  adopted  a  period  of 
forty  days.  And  this  time — set  apart  for  a 
special  season  of  fasting,  penitence,  prayer  and 
almsgiving,  which  in  God's  providence  and 
mercy  has  during  all  the  past  centuries  been 
blessed  by  Him  as  a  season  of  conviction  and 
devotion,  of  repentance  and  pardon  for  the 
many  millions  of  the  sons  and  daughters  of 
men  who  have  gone   before — will  I  believe  be 


34  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

blessed  to-day  to  me  and  to  all  others  who  will 
in  the  spirit  of  the  holy  men  and  women  of  old 
afflict  ourselves  in  like  manner,  make  like  hum- 
ble confession  of  sins,  and  come  and  kneel  in 
the  divine  presence  for  pardon  and  peace. 
What  nourished  and  brought  up  saints  of  old 
will  I  believe  be  found  equally  able  to  bring  up 
and  nourish  saints  in  these  latter  days  of  this 
nineteenth  century  ;  and  so  I  accept  the  season 
of  Lent  as  the  Church's  appointment  for  my 
spiritual  needs  and  wants  and  for  my  spiritual 
edification  and  sanctification.  ''  The  Church 
is  holier  than  the  holiest  of  its  members, 
and  likewise  is  wiser  than  the  wisest  of  her 
members."  And  because  the  spiritual  needs  of 
men  and  women  to-day  are  just  as  pressing  as 
in  the  earliest  day  of  the  Christian  Church  and 
Christian  life,  because  we  sin  the  same  sins, 
and  are  in  need  of  like  penitence  as  the  men 
and  women  of  old,  and  because  what  can  be 
done  at  any  time  is  usually  done  at  no  time,  I 
as  a  loyal  son  and  member  accept  this  stated 
definite   provision  of  the  Church   for  a  special 


TJie  Primitive  Origin  of  Lent.  35 

season  of  penitence  and  prayer  not  only  for  the 
whole  Church,  but  also  for  me  individually. 
And  because,  brethren,  your  needs  are  the 
same  as  mine,  I  commend  this  present  season 
of  Lent  to  your  acceptance,  in  order  that  you 
too  by  special  and  sincere  self-examination,  by 
increased  prayer,  and  by  deeper  penitence  may 
go  on  from  strength  to  strength,  and  increase 
in  grace  and  holiness,  without  which  we  none 
shall  see  the  Lord. 


II. 

The  Primitive  Purpose  of  Lent. 


II. 

THE  PRIMITIVE  PURPOSE  OF  LENT. 

For  the  time  is  come  that  judgment  must  begin  at  the 
house  of  God.     i  Peter  iv.  17. 

'T^HE  history  of  the  origin  of  Lent,  when 
■'■  instituted,  and  the  gradual  lengthening 
of  the  season,  we  have  already  considered. 
We  now  come  to  the  consideration  of  the 
object  or  purpose  of  its  institution.  Why  was 
the  Lenten  season  established  and  what  was 
its  aim  ?  This  is  the  question  we  shall  now 
endeavor  to  answer. 

I.  The  primary  reason  we  find  to  be  the 
mourning  for  the  death  and  burial  of  the 
Saviour — the  remembrance  of  which  naturally 
occurred  to  the  Church  when  it  made  prepara- 
tion for  celebrating  the  joyful  feast  of  the 
Resurrection.     As  it  has  been  said,  the  reason 


40  Lent — Past  and  Present. 


for   the    original  institution  was  due  to  ''  the 
apostles'    fasting    at    this   time,    because   the 
Bridegroom  (their  Lord)  was  taken  away  from 
them."     ''  In  compliance  with  which  practice, 
the   ancients    generally    observed    those    two 
days  in  which  our  Saviour  lay  in  the  grave" 
as  a  season  of  mourning.     "  Of  this  mourning 
Lent  is  the  perpetual  reminder."     From  this 
earliest    of   reasons    that    has   been    given    by 
Church  historians  for  the  observance  of  Lent, 
we  incidentally  learn  that  primitively — at  least 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  first  or  beginning  of 
the  second  century — the   Lenten  fast   had  no 
connection  or  reference  to  our  Lord's  fast  of 
forty   days    in    the    wilderness.     It  was   later, 
when  the  season  of  Lent  had  been  lengthened, 
that  the  connection  with  our  Lord's  fast  and 
temptation    was   advanced.      The  first   reason 
then  for  the  establishment  of  this  season  was 
connected  with  the    Saviour's   crucifixion  and 
burial,  not  with  his  earlier  life  and  temptation. 
''  The    primary  object  of   the   institution  of  a 
fast  before   Easter  was  doubtless  that  of  per- 


TJie  Primitive  Purpose  of  Lent.  41 

petuating  in  the  hearts  of  every  generation  of 
Christians,  the  sorrow  and  the  mourning  which 
the  apostles  and  disciples  felt  during  the  time 
that  the  Bridegroom  was  taken  away  from 
them." 

II.  This  fast  of  forty  hours  or  two  days  was 
at  a  time  however  when  Christian  fervor  was 
deep  and  lasting.  *'  And  so  long/'  says  Cas- 
sian,  ''as  the  perfection  of  the  primitive  Church 
remained  inviolable  there  was  no  observation 
of  Lent  [as  a  period  of  self-discipline,  which  is 
now  the  radical  thought  connected  with  the 
season.]  But  when  the  multitude  of  believers 
began  to  depart  from  apostoHc  devotion,  and 
brood  continually  upon  their  riches ;  when, 
instead  of  imparting  them  to  the  common  use 
of  all,  they  labored  only  to  lay  them  up  and 
augment  them  for  their  own  private  expenses ; 
then  it  seemed  good  to  all  bishops,  by  a 
canonical  indiction  of  fasts,  to  recall  men  to 
holy  works,  who  were  bound  with  secular 
cares,  and  had  almost  forgotten  what  conti- 
nency  and  compunction  meant ;  and  to  compel 


42  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

them  by  the  necessity  of  a  law,  to  dedicate  the 
tenth  of  their  time  to  God."  In  this  state- 
ment of  Cassian  we  may  notice  the  unde- 
signed evidence  for  the  ecclesiastical  institution 
of  the  Lenten  fast  in  its  later  form.  The  rea- 
son then  given  by  Cassian  for  the  institution 
of  the  fast  is  the  loss  of  apostolic  fervor  and 
devotion.  This  decline  took  place  so  soon  as 
the  Church  became  connected  with  the  State. 
When  the  alliance  between  the  Church  and  the 
Empire  was  formed,  the  lust  of  the  world  crept 
into  the  Church.  The  Master  had  said,  ''  My 
kingdom  is  not  of  this  world,"  but  his  professed 
disciples,  many  of  them  in  high  places,  pre- 
ferred not  to  accept  or  else  to  disregard  this 
truth.  They  clutched  at  temporal  power  when 
it  came  within  their  reach.  When  the  Church 
was  persecuted  by  Emperors  and  officials,  and 
by  law,  then  the  Church  was  pure.  Because 
then  as  a  rule  no  one  would  venture  to  declare 
himself  a  Christian  who  was  not  so  from  stern 
inward  conviction  and  moral  necessity,  when 
he   knew   that    such  declaration   involved  the 


TJie  Primitive  Purpose  of  Lent,  43 

flames,  the  cross,  the  lions,  banishment,  impri- 
sonment. To  be  a  Christian  when  the  Emper- 
ors were  heathen  and  frowned  upon  and 
persecuted  the  Church,  meant  the  readiness 
and  willingness  to  sacrifice  not  only  property 
but  life,  family,  and  everything  that  man  holds 
dear  in  this  world.  The  ante-Nicene  Church, 
therefore,  was  in  a  measure  pure  and  devoted, 
consistent  and  spiritual.  But  when  the 
Emperor  Constantine  declared  in  favor  of 
Christianity ;  and  the  Christian  religion  from 
being  one  of  the  proscribed  and  persecuted 
faiths — fides  illicitce — was  honored  above  all 
others  ;  then  multitudes  hastened  to  join  the 
Church,  not  because  of  inward  conviction,  not 
because  of  moral  necessity,  not  because  of 
devotion  to  Christ,  but  because  the  Church 
meant  for  them  possible  imperial  favor,  aggran- 
disement, worldly  prosperity,  outward  success, 
political  honor.  Men  of  no  moral  convictions 
were  willing  to  profess  adherence  to  the  Chris- 
tian faith,  and  thus  courtiers,  libertines,  politi- 
cians, and  profligates,  all  were  willing  to  submit 


44  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

to  the  Church  if  thereby  their  several  aims  were 
advanced.  It  was  necessary,  therefore,  to 
enforce  by  ecclesiastical  injunction  some  sub- 
stitute for  the  civil  persecution  which  was  now 
a  thing  past  and  gone.  Persecution  had  pre- 
served the  Church  in  purity.  The  fires  of 
martyrdom  had  refined  the  Church  of  dross. 
Something,  even  though  immeasurably  in- 
adequate, had  to  take  the  place  of  persecu- 
tion in  order  to  maintain  the  primitive  purity. 
There  was  but  one  course,  that  was  to  impose 
a  season  of  self-discipline  on  all  Christians. 
No  time  was  more  fitting  than  the  fast  before 
Easter.  Here  too  we  see  a  reason  why  in  the 
growing  worldliness  and  corruption  of  the 
Church  the  season  of  mourning  and  fasting 
which  in  the  sub-apostolic  Church  was  presum- 
ably but  forty  hours  long,  had  to  be  increased 
to  thirty-six  and  at  last  to  forty  days.  The 
need  of  some  severe  self-discipline  to  purify 
the  Church  called  for  a  lengthened  Lenten 
fast. 

III.     As  the  Church  through  imperial  favor 


The  Primitive  Purpose  of  Lent.  45 

and  alliance  grew  impure  and  lost  its  apostolic 
fervor,  we  can  readily  see  how  this  loss  of  zeal 
would  react  on  the  devotions  and  worship  of  its 
members.  There  is  much  dispute,  and  at  best 
uncertainty,  whether  it  ever  was  the  custom 
of  the  Church  to  observe  a  daily  communion. 
Authorities  are  to  be  found  for  and  against 
such  observance.  This  practice  we  might  say 
was  in  some  part  of  the  Church  observed,  and 
perhaps  also  for  some  time,  but  never  we  think 
universally  and  for  all  time.  But  I  think  it 
may  be  conceded  that  the  primitive  Church 
observed  a  weekly  communion,  through  the 
period  of  its  purity,  and  not  only  was  the  offer- 
ing made  weekly,  but  all  Christians  communi- 
cated weekly.  With  the  loss  of  devotion,  even 
though  the  communion  was  weekly  adminis- 
tered, yet  all  Christians  did  not  as  formerly 
partake  weekly.  Their  loss  of  zeal,  their  loss 
of  devotion,  their  lukewarmness  caused  many 
to  abstain  altogether  from  the  Lord's  Table,  or 
to  approach  it  as  rarely  as  possible.  It  became 
the  custom  by  degrees  for  some  ''  to  communi- 


4^  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

cate  chiefly  at  Easter";  for  others  to  communi- 
cate "  at  no  other  time  but  that  only." 
Accordingly  the  Lenten  fast  before  Easter 
was  appointed  as  a  time  for  special  preparation 
for  communion  at  Easter,  that  ''  by  proper  and 
spiritual  exercises  those  might  be  duly  pre- 
pared to  receive  the  communion  at  Easter, 
who  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  frequent 
it  at  other  seasons."  St.  Chrysostom  says  of 
this  reason,  ''  Because  men  were  used  to  come 
indevoutly  and  inconsiderately  to  the  commun- 
ion, especially  at  Easter,  therefore  the  Fathers, 
considering  the  mischiefs  arising  from  such 
careless  approaches  met  together,  and  ap- 
pointed forty  days  of  fasting  :  that  in  these 
days  men,  being  carefully  purified  by  prayer, 
and  almsdeeds,  and  fasting,  and  watching,  and 
tears,  and  confession  of  sins,  and  other  like 
exercises,  might  come  with  a  pure  conscience 
to  the  holy  table."  So  again  in  another  place 
to  the  same  purpose  this  Father  says,  *•  As  they 
that  take  great  pains  to  run  in  a  race,  reap  no 
advantage  if  they  fail  of  the  prize  ;  so  we  have 


The  Primitive  Purpose  of  Lent.  47 

no  benefit  from  all  the  labor  and  pains  we 
bestow  upon  fasting,  unless  we  can  come  with 
a  pure  conscience  to  partake  of  the  holy  table. 
For  this  end  we  use  fasting,  and  Lent,  and 
assemblies  for  so  many  days  together,  and 
hearing,  and  praying,  and  preaching  ;  that  by 
our  diligence  in  the  use  of  these  means,  and 
regard  to  the  Divine  commands,  we  may  wipe 
off  the  sins  of  the  whole  year  that  stick  to  us, 
and  so  with  spiritual  boldness  and  reverence 
partake  of  the  unbloody  sacrifice."  If  this  be 
so  do  we  not  gather  a  hint  for  our  own  con- 
duct ?  If  the  Lenten  fast  was  established  in 
the  early  Church  as  a  preparation  for  commun- 
ion at  Easter;  if  all  the  preaching,  services, 
prayer,  fasting,  almsgiving  were  to  be  means  of 
preparation  ;  then  we  see  how  to-day  those  of 
us  who  expect  to  communicate  at  Easter 
should  make  use  of  the  Lenten  season,  how 
we  should  take  advantage  of  the  opportunitie 
of  the  services  provided,  the  opportunities  of 
almsgiving  and  deeds  of  mercy  and  charity 
which  are  also  offered.     Let  me  say  as  did  the 


48  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

sainted  Chrysostom  of  old,  the  Lenten  season 
is  given  us  for  one  reason  at  least,  as  a  time  of 
preparation  for  our  Easter  communion  ;  we  are 
to  be  made  ready  by  the  pains  which  we  now 
take  to  come  then  with  a  pure  conscience : 
how  then  I  ask  can  any  come  on  that  great 
festival  who  neglect  the  means  of  preparation 
now  offered  at  this  time  of  Lent.  Consider 
this  you  who  propose  to  come  to  the  commun- 
ion at  Easter,  and  yet  think  you  may  neglect 
the  preparation  therefor  which  the  Church  dur- 
ing this  season  affords  you. 

IV.  Once  more,  the  Lenten  fast  was  made  use 
of — if  not  originally  so  designed — in  later  cen- 
turies as  the  special  time  for  preparing  cate- 
chumens or  candidates  for  their  baptism  on 
Easter-even.  True  it  is  that  in  the  days  of 
the  apostles  as  also  with  us  to-day,  baptism 
was  administered  at  any  time.  Candidates 
were  not  put  off  by  the  apostles,  but  just  so 
soon  as  they  were  prepared  they  baptized 
them.  This  is  proven  by  the  baptism  of  about 
3000   on    the    first   Whitsunday.      Again,   we 


TJie  Primitive  Purpose  of  Lent.  49 

notice  that  the  Evangelist  Philip  after  duly 
preaching  Christ  to  the  Eunuch,  when  they 
come  to  some  water  is  asked  by  him  saying, 
''  See,  here  is  water  :  what  doth  hinder  one  to  be 
baptized?"  And  believing,  he  is  baptized.  So 
too  this  same  Philip  preaching  in  Samaria  con- 
verts many  men  and  women  who  believing  were 
baptized.  It  would  be  possible  to  multiply 
examples  to  prove  that  in  the  apostolic  Church 
men  and  women  were  baptized  as  soon  as  they 
professed  their  belief  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of 
God.  Yet  in  course  of  time  it  became  the  prac- 
tice in  the  early  Church  to  defer  baptism — ex- 
cept in  case  of  extreme  sickness — to  Epiphany, 
Easter,  and  Pentecost ;  but  of  these  three  times 
of  baptism  Easter  was  the  most  celebrated. 
The  reason  perhaps  why  this  delay  in  baptism 
was  ordered  seems  to  be  due  in  great  measure 
to  that  root  of  evil  which  troubled  the  Church 
after  her  connection  with  the  State,  viz.  the 
loss  of  piety,  and  fervor,  and  the  creeping  in  of  a 
worldly  spirit.  Accordingly  it  seemed  best  to 
make   catechumens    wait,    *'  to  proceed    more 


50  Lent — Past  and  Present, 

slowly  with  the  candidates  of  baptism,  both  in 
the  instruction  and  the  trial  of  them  because  of 
their  dulness,  and  negligence,  and  frequent 
relapses."  The  season  of  Lent,  therefore,  be- 
came the  special  season  set  apart  for  the 
instruction  of  the  candidates  in  the  Christian 
faith.  But  not  only  was  there  at  this  time 
something  for  teachers  to  do,  the  candidates 
themselves  were  required  to  pray,  and  with 
fasting  to  beg  of  God  remission  of  sins.  Cyril 
of  Jerusalem,  who  has  left  to  us  some  of  his 
catechetical  lectures  given  to  catechumens  for 
baptism,  thus  addresses  them  concerning  Lent : 
"  The  present  season  is  a  season  of  confession, 
all  worldly  cares  are  to  be  laid  aside,  for  you 
strive  for  your  souls.  You  that  have  been 
busy  about  the  things  of  the  world,  and  troub- 
led in  vain  so  many  years,  will  ye  not  bestow 
forty  days  in  prayer  for  the  salvation  of  your 
souls?"  Thus  one  of  the  purposes  of  this 
Lenten  season  was  for  the  special  preparation 
of  catechumens  for  their  Easter  baptism. 

V.    But  this  fast  of  Lent  served  still  another 


The  Primitive  PiLvpose  of  Lent.  5 1 

purpose.  And  we  see  how  in  this  case  also 
the  reason  is  due  to  the  loss  of  purity  of  the 
Church  owing  to  its  alliance  with  the  State. 
This  other  purpose  was  that  Lent  should  be  a 
season  of  special  preparation  for  penitents  who 
looked  for  re-admission  into  the  Church  at 
Easter.  It  was  a  few  days  before  this  great 
feast  that  offenders,  those  who  were  under 
ecclesiastical  discipline,  were  absolved  after  a 
season  of  penitence  and  prayer.  *'  Lent  was 
always  more  strictly  observed  by  them,  as  a 
decent  preparation  for  the  absolution  they  then 
expected."  The  discipline  of  this  season  for 
penitents  was  one  of  rigor,  involving  fasting, 
prayer,  and  a  strict  observance  of  the  rules  laid 
down  for  their  conduct.  For  forty  days  they 
gave  evidence  of  the  sincerity  of  their  repent- 
ance and  submission  in  hopes  of  being  restored 
to  the  assembly  of  the  faithful,  to  receive 
absolution,  and  also  to  be  admitted  to  the 
communion.  On  this  custom  Gregory  of 
Nyssa  has  said,  *'  The  anniversary  solemnity  of 
Easter  was  not  only  the  time  of  regenerating 


52  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

catechumens,  but  of  begetting  those  again  to  a 
Hvely  hope,  who  had  forfeited  it  by  their  sins, 
but  were  desirous  to  regain  it  by  repentance 
and  conversion  from  dead  works  to  walk  again 
in  the  paths  of  Hfe." 

These  then  were  some  of  the  reasons  for 
and  aims  of  the  institution  of  Lent — as  a 
reminder  of  our  Lord's  death  and  burial  and 
the  mourning  of  the  disciples  ;  as  a  season  in 
which  to  stimulate  the  declining  fervor  and 
piety  of  the  Church ;  as  a  time  of  special  prep- 
aration for  the  reception  of  the  Communion 
at  Easter;  as  the  period  during  which  catechu- 
mens were  instructed  in  the  Faith,  and  them- 
selves exercised  self-discipline  by  fasting, 
prayer,  and  almsgiving  preparatory  to  baptism 
at  Easter  ;  also  as  a  season  during  which  peni- 
tents by  strict  observance  of  the  fast  of  these 
days,  and  by  other  evidences  of  penitence 
hoped  to  receive  absolution  at  Easter  and  to 
be  restored  to  the  fold  and  to  full  communion. 

And  now  it  may  be  asked,  in  the  divided 
state  of  Christendom,  with  such  diverse  condi- 


TJie  Primitive  Purpose  of  Lent.  53 

tions  surrounding  us  to-day,  do  the  same 
reasons  hold,  do  the  same  purposes  remain  for 
observing  Lent ;  do  we  have  like  aims  ?  We 
reply,  if  all  the  specific  reasons  of  the  early 
Church  do  not  remain  valid,  yet  some  of  them 
do,  and  certainly  the  principles  which  lay  at 
the  bottom  of  all  those  reasons  still  hold  true. 
It  is  evident  that  the  discipline  exercised  by 
the  primitive  Church  has  in  these  later  centu- 
ries failed.  Were  we  now  to  say  to  an  offender 
that  unless  he  gave  evidence  of  penitence  for 
some  scandalous  offence  he  would  be  disci- 
plined or  excommunicated,  I  venture  to  think 
he  would  not  mind  the  threat.  Old  things, 
and  old  discipline  have  passed  away.  So,  too, 
the  usages  have  varied.  We  no  longer  delay 
baptism,  but  administer  the  sacrament  when- 
ever requested,  and  when  the  candidate — if 
adult — is  sufficiently  instructed.  But  notwith- 
standing the  loss  of  ancient  discipline,  and  also 
the  change  of  usage,  the  root  principle  which 
caused  a  lengthening  of  the  fast  from  forty 
hours  to  forty  days  still  remains  to   be  consid- 


54  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

ered,  viz.  the  decline  of  fervor,  devotion  and 
piety,  in  the  Church  and  in  its  members.  The 
same  reason  that  accounted  for  this  loss  in  the 
fourth  century,  accounts  for  it  to-day,  viz.  the 
strong  desire  to  unite  the  service  of  the  world 
and  of  God,  to  make  God's  kingdom  a  king- 
dom of  this  world,  in  direct  opposition  to  the 
statement  of  our  Lord.  And  because  of  the 
loss  of  fervor  and  devotion  we  need  to-day 
just  as  much  as  the  Church  did  fifteen  centu- 
ries ago  to  appoint  a  special  season,  during 
which  by  increased  zeal  in  God's  house,  by 
self-denial,  by  self-discipline,  by  fasting,  by 
prayers,  by  almsgiving  to  arouse  the  whole 
Church  and  each  individual  member  of  it  to 
the  great  need  of  a  closer  walk  with  God,  and 
a  heartier  consecration  of  self  and  self's  belong- 
ings to  Him. 

The  influence  of  the  world  on  the  Church 
and  on  each  of  us  is  too  apt  to  make  us  lose 
sight  of  spiritual  realities,  their  importance, 
and  their  eternal  value;  and  so  little  by  little 
we  yield  to  the  narcotic  influence   of  the  pres- 


TJie  Primitive  Purpose  of  Lent.  55 

ent — be  it  its  pleasures  or  gaities,  its  business 
or  its  duties,  its  hopes  or  its  struggles,  its  joys 
or  its  sorrows,  until  we  become  benumbed  to 
all  higher  interests  and  hopes,  and  joys  and 
realities,  until  we  gradually  lose  sight  and 
experience  of  the  former  peace  and  rapture 
and  ecstacy  with  which  spiritual  things  and 
communion  filled  us.  This  season  then  has 
for  its  purpose  to-day  the  object  of  meeting 
the  spiritual  needs  and  wants  of  our  nature 
which  we  are  certain  to  neglect  if  we  are  not 
specially  warned  and  called  to  take  heed  to 
our  ways. 

*'  In  this  hallowed  season  then  the  Church, 
by  the  voice  of  all  her  holy  services  calleth 
the  world  to  repentance  from  the  rising  of  the 
sun  to  the  going  down  thereof.  And  if  ever 
there  was  an  institution  calculated  to  promote 
the  glory  of  God,  by  forwarding  the  salvation 
of  man,  it  is  this  appointment  of  a  certain  set 
time  for  all  persons  to  consider  their  ways,  to 
break  off  their  sins.  For  though  most  certain 
it  is,  that  sorrow  should  be  the  constant   atten- 


5  6  Lent — Past  and  Present. 


dant  on  sin,  and  daily  transgressions  call  for 
daily  penitence  ;  yet  fatal  experience  convinces 
us  of  another  truth  no  less  certain,  that  in  a 
body  so  frail,  and  a  world  so  corrupt,  care  and 
pleasures  soon  oppress  the  heart,  and  insensi- 
bility brings  on  the  slumbers  of  listlessness  and 
negligence  as  to  its  spiritual  concerns,  which 
unless  dissipated  and  dispersed  by  frequently 
repeated  admonitions,  will  at  length  seal  it  up 
in  the  deep  sleep  of  a  final  impenitence.  It 
was  wisely  foreseen  that,  should  the  sinner  be 
permitted  to  reserve  for  himself  the  choice  of 
a  '  convenient  season '  wherein  to  turn  from 
sin  to  righteousness,  that  '  convenient  season  ' 
would  never  come ;  and  the  specious  plea  of 
keeping  every  day  holy  alike,  would  often  be 
found  to  cover  a  design  of  keeping  none  holy 
at  all." 

You  know,  brethren,  the  deceitfulness  of  the 
heart,  you  know  the  cares  of  this  life  are  apt  to 
choke  the  good  seed,  you  know  that  what  spirit- 
ual life  you  do  possess  is  only  maintained  by 
a  constant  struggle,   you   know  too   that  at  no 


The  Primitive  Purpose  of  Lent.  57 

time  in  the  life  of  the  Church  of  God  is  she 
called  on  to  contend  with  her  rival,  the  world, 
so  strongly  and  fiercely  as  now  for  the  souls  of 
men,  you  know  what  mighty  allurements  and 
fascinations  the  world  is  perpetually  ofTering 
to  the  minds  and  bodies  of  men  to  dazzle 
them  and  to  bewilder  them,  to  sensualize  them, 
and  to  cause  them  to  renounce  God  ; — if  so, 
then  there  is  no  time  in  the  history  of  the 
Christian  Church  for  its  own  sake  and  struggle 
for  existence,  and  also  for  the  souls  committed 
to  her  care  and  for  the  souls  of  all  men,  when 
a  set  period  of  fasting  and  prayers  is  more 
needed  than  now  in  these  last  years  of  this  fast 
fleeing  century.  We  are  threatened  by  god- 
lessness,  atheism,  materialism  and  all  the 
hydra-headed  isms,  which  clamor  for  recogni- 
tion ;  in  most  insinuating  forms  the  adversary 
of  souls  is  tempting  us;  surely  now  is  no  time 
to  throw  away  the  smallest  weapon  of  defence 
we  may  possess,  certainly  not  this  one  of  the 
season  of  Lent,  which  the  Church  for  now  these 
many  centuries  has  found  to  be  a    means  of 


58  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

reviving  the  sluggish,  careless  and  indifferent 
souls  of  her  children,  reanimating  their  piety, 
increasing  their  fervor,  and  leading  them  to  a 
higher  plane  of  service  and  devotion  not  only 
to  God  but  also  to  man.  Nay !  we  need  if 
possible  to  hold  more  firmly  than  ever  to  this 
observance  of  the  Lenten  fast,  that  we  fail  not 
in  our  duty,  that  we  lose  not  our  own  souls, 
that  we  miss  not  eternal  life.  Divine  Provi- 
dence has  in  the  past  guided  the  Church  to 
observe  this  season,  and  we  believe  that 
because  of  the  likeness  of  the  needs  and  wants 
of  men  and  women  to-day  to  that  of  their  fore- 
bears. Divine  Providence  will  enable  the  Church 
to  maintain  this  holy  season,  until  at  last  all 
seasons  will  be  holy,  when  this  Church  now 
militant  shall  become  the  Church  triumphant 
and  in  God's  presence  we  shall  have  peace, 
and  light,  and  joy  forevermore. 


III. 

Lenten  Observances. 


III. 

LENTEN  OBSERVANCES. 

He  that  regardeth  the  day,  regardeth  it  unto  the  Lord : 
and  he  that  regardeth  not  the  day,  to  the  Lord  he  doth 
not  regard  it.     Rom.  xiv.  6. 

THESE  words  of  the  apostle  give  us  the 
hint  that  the  observance  of  days  might 
vary,  and  yet  the  Lord  honored.  St.  Paul 
points  to  a  great  truth  which  he  so  frequently 
dwells  upon  in  his  teaching,  viz.  that  in  the  body 
of  Christ  there  is  diversity  of  gifts,  adminis- 
trations and  operations,  yet  it  is  the  same  Spirit 
that  worketh  all  in  all.  Liberty  in  Christ  he 
desires  to  maintain  not  only  for  himself,  but 
also  for  others.  If  in  the  Christian  world  to-day 
there  was  more  of  that  ancient  Pauline  spirit 
of  liberty,  there  would  be  I  think  a  great  deal 
more  of  Christian  unity,  and  also  Church  unity. 


62  The  Prhnitive  Purpose  of  Leitt. 

We  hear  high-sounding  phrases  such  as  "■  in 
essentials  unity,  in  non-essentials  liberty,  in  all 
things  charity,"  and  yet  this  great  sentiment 
is  practically  worthless  in  numberless  cases 
because  we  are  so  determined  to  overlap 
essentials  and  non-essentials.  We  are  not 
willing.  Christians  though  we  call  ourselves,  to 
be  content  to  refer  to  the  Word  of  God  for 
essentials.  But  one  here  and  another  there 
goes  about  to  establish  his  or  her  righteousness 
— one  church  or  denomination  here  and  another 
there  determines  this  to  be  essential  which 
another  deems  non-essential,  and  thus  because 
of  the  elastic  and  undetermined  limits  of  essen- 
tials and  non-essentials — not  only  is  there  no 
unity  or  liberty,  but  even  the  greatest  virtue 
of  all — charity  itself — is  lacking. 

Ah  !  will  the  day  ever  come  when  the  Body 
of  Christ,  "  the  company  of  all  faithful  people  " 
shall  be  healed  of  its  schisms  and  its  sores,  and 
Christians  everywhere  shall  call  their  fellow 
Christians  brother,  sister  ! 

From    the    text    we    learn    that    the   great 


Lenteii   Observances.  63 

apostle  among  even  his  converts  recognizes  the 
individuaUty  of  man,  and  provides  for  their 
differences.  He  will  not  compel  all  to  conform 
to  one  mould.  They  shall  not  all  speak  after 
the  same  manner.  He  knows  this  is  an  im- 
possibility. He  knows  it  is  directly  opposed 
to  divine  truth  and  divine  operation.  "  The 
manifestation  of  the  Spirit  is  given  to  every 
man  to  profit  withal.  For  to  me  is  given  by 
the  Spirit  the  word  of  wisdom  ;  to  another  the 
word  of  knowledge  by  the  same  Spirit  ;  to 
another  faith  by  the  same  Spirit  ;  to  another 
the  gift  of  healing  by  the  same  Spirit ;  to 
another  the  working  of  miracles  ;  to  another 
prophecy;  to  another  discerning  of  spirits;  to 
another  divers  kinds  of  tongues ;  to  another 
the  interpretation  of  tongues  ;  but  all  these 
worketh  that  one  and  the  self-same  Spirit,  divid- 
ing to  every  man  severally  as  he  will."  Thus 
in  practice  and  devotion  he  makes  no  attempt 
to  circumscribe  the  liberty  of  his  converts  by 
enforcing  unchangeable  observances  and  in- 
flexible rites.     The  great  truth  he  inculcates  is 


64  Lent — Past  and  Present, 

"  the  kingdom  of  God  is  not  meat  and  drink  ; 
but  righteousness  and  peace,  and  joy  in  the 
Holy  Ghost." 

This  apostolic  spirit  of  liberty,  and  of  diver- 
sity in  unity  we  find  maintained  in  the  sub- 
apostolic  church.  Here  great  variation  of  usage 
is  allowed.  Liberty  in  Christ  is  an  accepted 
and  acknowledged  principle,  and  whether  the 
church  be  found  in  Asia  Minor  or  Corinth,  in 
Alexandria  or  Carthage,  in  Rome  or  Gaul, 
diversity  of  usage  does  not  destroy  unity  of 
faith,  nor  hinder  intercommunion  and  charity 
to  all. 

To-day  in  the  consideration  of  our  subject  we 
reach  the  question  pf  the  observances,  practices, 
customs,  usages,  rules  and  habits  adopted  or 
enforced  by  authority  during  Lent. 

In  the  study  of  our  subject  we  need  to  bear 
in  mind  the  marked  distinctions  in  the  periods 
of  the  Church's  life.  A  critical  turning-point 
was  the  Nicene  Council  held  in  the  year  325 
A.  D.  The  period  previous  to  this  date,  church 
historians  speak  of  as  the  ante-Nicene  period  ; 


1 


Lenten  Observances,  65 

after  this  date  as  the  post-Nicene  age.  The 
ante-Nicene  days  present  to  us  a  church  scat- 
tered over  the  Roman  empire,  with  certain 
fundamental  points  of  agreement,  yet  with 
many  marked  differences  of  usage.  One 
marked  difference  was  in  the  time  of  keeping 
Easter.  Some  churches,  especially  those  of 
Asia  Minor,  kept  Easter  according  to  the 
Jewish  Calendar  regardless  whether  it  fell  on  a 
Sunday  or  not.  Other  churches,  more  espe- 
cially the  Latin,  kept  Easter  always  on  a  Sun- 
day. Not  until  the  Nicene  Council  of  325  A.  D. 
was  there  a  general  unanimity  of  practice, 
corresponding  to  the  usage  which  prevails 
to-day,  viz.  of  keeping  Easter  always  on  a 
Sunday.  We  see  in  this  diversity  of  custom 
of  observing  Easter,  the  great  liberty  and  wide 
difference  of  usage,  which  was  allowed  and 
asserted,  accepted  and  adopted  by  different 
churches  in  the  ante-Nicene  period  of  the 
Church.  What  was  true  of  Easter  was  true  in 
like  degree  of  nearly  every  other  practice. 
Usages  varied,  and  this  is  especially  true   of 


66  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

Lent.  From  a  letter  of  Irenaeus  which  has 
already  been  referred  to,  we  notice  that  the 
length  of  the  Lenten  season  varied  in  different 
churches.  The  same  is  true  of  the  customs 
and  usages  in  connection  with  this  season.  If 
we  think  a  while  we  see  a  reason  for  this  varia- 
tion of  practice.  Before  the  Nicene  Council, 
or  up  to  within  a  few  years  of  it,  the  Christian 
faith  was  under  nominal  if  not  practical  pro- 
scription. If  any  one  chose  to  bring  a  com- 
plaint against  a  Christian  as  being  unwilling  to 
sacrifice  to  the  gods,  or  offer  incense,  the 
official  to  whom  the  complaint  was  made  was 
obliged  to  investigate  the  case  and  to  afford 
the  accused  an  opportunity  to  prove  the  falsity 
or  truth  of  the  charge  by  requiring  of  him  to 
offer  incense.  If  the  Christian  accused  re- 
fused, he  could  be  punished,  and  the  severity 
of  the  punishment  would  often  be  determined 
by  the  strength  of  the  attachment  of  the 
official  to  the  heathen  faith,  or  by  the  degree 
of  bitterness  or  popular  feeling  and  clamor 
against  Christians  at  the  time  in  the  place  of 


Lenten  Observances.  6"] 

accusation.  Occasionally,  owing  to  famines, 
pestilences,  drought,  or  any  physical  calamity, 
heathen  populations  would  stir  up  enmity 
against  Christians,  accusing  them  as  being 
responsible  for  all  these  disasters.  Then 
Christians  had  to  suffer.  Again,  the  strength 
of  the  adherence  of  the  Emperor  to  the  pagan 
worship  of  the  State  would  also  determine  in 
great  measure  the  violence  of  the  persecution 
or  its  leniency.  In  a  word,  whatever  organiza- 
tion the  Church  had  in  the  ante-Nicene  period 
was  to  a  great  extent  local.  It  could  not  in 
the  face  of  imperial  and  popular  opposition 
make  an  open  show  of  its  customs  and  usages. 
Thus  each  church  holding  in  essentials  of  the 
faith  with  all  other  Christian  churches  where- 
ever  found,  and  holding  communion,  and 
granting  to  travelling  communicants  letters 
commendatory  to  the  faithful  everywhere,  was 
yet  of  necessity,  because  of  the  liability  to  per- 
secution, obliged  to  determine  for  itself  in 
great  measure  its  own  usages  and  customs, 
adapting  them  to  their  peculiar  situation  and 


6S  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

needs  and  according  to  the  circumstances  of 
the  time,  place,  popular  feeling.  There  was  no 
central  council  to  issue  orders  and  directions. 
The  tendency  to  yield  to  centrahzed  authority 
was  not  yet  in  existence,  because  there  was  no 
central  authority.  The  union  of  Church  and 
State — the  foundation  of  centralization — was 
yet  future.  Local  self-government  was  for  pru- 
dential reasons  almost  a  necessity. 

The  alliance  of  the  Church  with  the  State 
under  Constantine  in  325  A.  D.,  gave  to  the 
Church  a  political  status,  and  an  external  unity 
which  it  had  hitherto  lacked.  At  the  same 
time  that  state  recognition  was  accorded  to 
the  Church,  there  naturally  sprang  up  the 
desire  not  only  for  external  unity  of  commun- 
ion, but  also  unity  of  usage,  and  uniformity 
of  customs  and  practices.  The  tendency  of 
thought  within  the  Church  now  led  to  centrali- 
zation and  some  seat  of  authority.  The  influ- 
ence of  the  State  upon  the  Church  became 
paramount,  and  it  looked  to  the  State  for 
models  of  its  constitutions,   divisions,  usages. 


Lenten  Observances.  69 

Accordingly,  after  the  Nicene  Council  we 
notice  in  all  directions  this  tendency  to  unifica- 
tion, to  a  similarity  of  customs,  seasons,  festi- 
vals and  fasts.  We  note  this  gradual  approxi- 
mation of  observances  in  the  usages  of  Lent. 
Councils  now  issued  canons ;  synods  pre- 
scribed practices  ;  and  with  the  division  of  the 
Church  into  patriarchates,  provinces  and 
dioceses,  we  see  how  observance«s  would  gradu- 
ally approach  uniformity  throughout  the 
Church. 

Our  consideration  of  the  Lenten  usages 
after  they  became  practically  uniform  will 
necessarily  be  chiefly  of  those  that  prevailed 
after  325  A.  D.,  when  already  the  influence  of 
the  State  and  the  world  had  begun  to  lower 
the  tone  of  ancient  piety  and  fervor,  when 
already  there  were  beginning  to  show  them- 
selves traces  and  tendencies  to  formality  and 
superstition ;  when  already  the  lust  of  author- 
ity had  crept  into  the  Church,  and  power  was 
grasped  after  rather  than  love. 

For    the   purposes    of    our    study   we   may 


^0  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

classify  the  observances  and  usages  of  Lent 
under  three  heads:  I.  Ecclesiastical;  W.  Civil; 
III.  Domestic. 

I.  Ecclesiastical.  The  decreasing  devotion 
and  growing  worldliness  of  the  Church  de- 
manded serious  consideration.  The  fast  of 
Lent  therefore  was  made  use  of  to  increase  if 
possible  the  fervor  and  spirituality  of  all  Chris- 
tians. Accordingly  multiplied  services  were 
held,  and  sermons  preached  daily  through 
Lent,  at  least  in  large  city  churches  and  cathe- 
drals. These  services  and  sermons  the  people 
were  urged  to  turn  to  profit.  It  is  due  to 
these  daily  Lenten  services  that  to-day  we 
possess  so  many  patristic  commentaries.  The 
daily  sermon  or  homily  through  Lent  gave  the 
early  Fathers  opportunity  to  take  up  some 
book  of  the  Bible  and  expound  it  consecu- 
tively. And  what  is  more  to  the  point,  from 
contemporary  notices  we  learn  that  numbers 
availed  themselves  ot  these  biblical  and  devo- 
tional privileges.  We  are  led  to  believe  from 
reliable  authority   that  crowds  went  daily  to 


Lenten  Observances,  71 

hear  St.  Chrysostom  in  Antioch,  and  also  in 
Constantinople.  The  same  is  true  of  the  num- 
bers who  went  to  hear  St.  Ambrose  at  Milan, 
and  St.  Augustine  in  North  Africa. 

Again,  not  only  were  there  daily  services  and 
sermons,  but  weekly  the  communion  was  ad- 
ministered and  received,  except  by  those  who 
were  excommunicated  or  who  were  in  the  class 
of  penitents  and  under  discipline.  It  has 
already  been  observed  that  the  matter  of  a 
daily  celebration  is  uncertain.  The  truth 
being,  perhaps,  that  in  some  parts  of  the 
Church  a  daily  celebration  was  the  custom,  in 
others  not ;  again,  the  size  of  the  church  would 
enter  into  the  consideration  of  the  practice  ; 
and  once  more  what  might  be  true  of  a  prac- 
tice in  later  centuries  would  not  necessarily  be 
true  of  the  period  which  we  are  considering. 
But  in  connection  with  the  communion  one 
custom  observed  in  the  Eastern  Church  until 
some  time  in  the  seventh  century  needs  to  be 
noticed.  By  a  canon  of  the  Council  of  Lao- 
dicea  (<:?>.  365  A.  D.)  it  was  ordered  "that  the 


7^  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

Eucharist  should  not  be  offered  in  Lent,  on 
any  other  day  except  the  Sabbath  and  the 
Lord's  Day."  The  reason  alleged  for  this 
restriction  by  the  Eastern  Church  is  "  that  the 
consecration  service  is  proper  only  for  festivals  ; 
and,  therefore,  all  other  days  in  Lent,  besides 
Saturdays  and  Sundays  being  fast  days,  they 
did  not  consecrate  on  those  days,  but  only 
communicated  in  the  elements  which  had  been 
consecrated  before,"  or  as  those  elements  are 
also  called,  the  pre-sanctified.  It  must  be 
noted  that  this  canon  did  not  forbid  commun- 
ion or  participation,  but  only  the  consecration 
of  the  elements  on  any  day  except  Saturday 
and  Sunday.  This  custom  however  was  not 
adopted  in  the  Latin  Church.  It  ''  used  to 
consecrate,  as  well  as  communicate  about  three 
in  the  afternoon  all  the  days  of  Lent." 

Once  again,  ecclesiastical  orders  of  this 
period  "  forbade  the  celebration  of  all  festivals 
of  martyrs  at  this  season,  except  it  were  on  the 
Sabbath  {i.  e.  Saturday),  or  upon  the  Lord's 
Day  :  because  all  festivals  were  days  of  rejoic- 


Lenten  Observances,  73 

ing  which  were  not  consistent  with  deep 
humiUation  and  mourning  belonging  to  a  strict 
and  severe  fast ;  but  (inasmuch  as)  the  Sab- 
bath and  the  Lord's  Day  were  excepted  from 
fasting  even  in  Lent.  .  .  .  therefore  on  these 
days  the  festivals  of  martyrs  might  be  cele- 
brated but  on  no  other  during  the  whole  time  of 
Lent."  There  was  one  exception  to  this  rigid 
rule,  viz.  the  feast  of  the  Annunciation,  on 
which  day  whenever  it  fell  in  Lent,  though  not 
on  a  Saturday  or  Sunday,  there  was  nevertheless 
a  celebration. 

n.  Civil  observances.  The  alliance  of  the 
State  with  the  Church  reacted  on  the  former. 
This  reaction  is  manifested  in  certain  state  and 
imperial  regulations  and  laws  concerning  the 
conduct  of  business  in  courts,  the  treatment  of 
prisoners,  the  cessation  of  public  amusements 
during  Lent.  Thus  *'  imperial  laws  forbade 
all  prosecution  of  men  in  criminal  actions 
which  might  bring  them  to  corporal  punish- 
ment and  torture  during  the  whole  season  "  of 
Lent.     ''  In  the  forty  days "  so    the  imperial 


74  Z^/2/ — Past  and  Present. 

law  runs  '*  which  by  the  laws  of  religion 
are  solemnly  observed  before  Easter,  let  the 
examination  and  hearing  of  all  criminal  ques- 
tions be  superseded  ;  and  in  the  holy  days  of 
Lent,  let  there  be  no  punishments  of  the  body, 
when  we  expect  the  absolution  of  our  souls." 
Thus  civil  enactments  prescribed  postpone- 
ment of  lawsuits  in  Lent,  and  forbade  infliction 
of  bodily  punishment  such  as  flogging  and 
branding.  There  were  other  civil  usages  of 
this  season,  but  they  will  be  better  considered 
in  connection  with  the  days  of  Holy  Week  with 
which  they  were  specially  associated. 

in.  Domestic  usages.  Usages  which  were 
in  some  cases  of  ecclesiastical  imposition,  in  as 
much  as  they  refer  more  to  the  conduct  of 
believers  at  home  or  in  society,  I  have  preferred 
to  classify  as  domestic.  The  first  of  these 
usages  touching  the  home  that  call  for  notice 
would  be  that  of  fasting  and  abstinence.  To 
consider  this  at  all  fully  at  the  present  time 
would  most  probably  tax  your  patience.  I  will 
therefore  reserve  this  usage    for  separate  con- 


Lenten  Observances.  ^5 

sideration.  Leaving  then  the  consideration  of 
the  usage  of  fasting  for  the  present  the  next 
domestic  rule  of  the  Church  was  to  forbid  all 
celebrations  of  birthdays  and  marriages  during 
Lent.  The  reason  for  this  prohibition  was  that 
these  festivities  *'  being  celebrated  with  great 
tokens  and  solemnities  of  joy,  with  feasting 
and  other  ceremonies  of  pleasure  and  delight, 
it  was  not  proper  to  keep  them  in  the  time  of 
fasting,  as  being  things  inconsistent,  and  in- 
compatible with  one  another.  And  they  were 
to  be  forborne  because  at  this  time  the  Church 
did  not  allow  the  solemnizing  of  the  nativities 
or  birthdays  of  her  martyrs,  which  otherwise 
were  of  great  esteem  in  the  Church."  We  see 
from  this  how  if  the  Church  forbade  the  celebra- 
tion of  saints'  days  through  Lent,  it  was  only 
consistent  that  she  should  forbid  the  celebra- 
tions of  the  birthdays  and  marriages  of  her 
ordinary  members  during  this  same  season. 

Once  again,  the  Church  would  have  all  her 
faithful  children  abstain  from  attending  public 
games,  shows,  races,  which  might  be  held  in  the 


7^  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

amphitheatre   or  circus,  as  being  inconsistent 
with  the  profession  of  penitence,  humiliation, 
fasting,  and  mourning,  which  was  at  this  time 
made.    Of  course,  then  as  now,  it  was  impossible 
to  restrain  everybody  from  such  indulgences. 
Human  nature  is  the  same  everywhere  and  at 
all  times.     There  were  inconsistent,  lukewarm, 
or  indifferent  Christians   then  as  now.     There 
were  also  those  who  perhaps  took  a  dehght  in 
doing  what  they  were  urged  not  to  do.     In  one 
of   his   Lent  sermons   St.  Chrysostom  depre- 
cates and  sets  himself  to  correct  if  possible  this 
abuse  of  indulging  in  games,  plays,  races,  etc., 
during  the    holy  season.     ''  When  I  consider," 
says  he,  ''  how  at  one  blast  of  the  devil  ye  have 
forgotten  all  my  daily  admonitions,  and  con- 
tinued   discourses,  and  run  to   that  pomp  of 
Satan,  the  horse  race  in  the  Circus  ;  with  what 
heart  can   I  think   of  preaching  to  you  again 
who  have  so  soon  let  slip  all  that  I  said  before  ? 
This  is  what  chiefly    raises  my  grief,  yea,  my 
anger  and  indignation,  that   together  with  my 
admonition  ye  have  cast  the  reverence  of  this 


Lenten  Observances.  77 

holy  season  of  Lent  out  of  your  souls,  and 
thrown  yourselves  into  the  nets  of  the  devil." 
Strong  words  these,  but  the  speaker  was  not  in 
the  habit  of  mincing  his  words,  and  calling 
black  white,  or  darkness  light.  Once  again,  to 
urge  them  to  prove  sincere  and  to  show  how 
their  inconsistent  conduct  gave  the  lie  to  their 
profession  and  did  harm  to  the  Church,  Chry- 
ostom  says,  "  Subdue  I  beseech  you  this  wicked 
and  pernicious  custom  ;  and  consider  that  they 
who  run  to  the  Circus,  not  only  do  much  harm 
to  themselves,  but  are  the  occasion  of  great 
scandal  to  others.  For  when  the  Jews  and 
Gentiles  see  you  who  are  every  day  at  church 
to  hear  a  sermon,  come  notwithstanding  to  the 
horse  race  and  join  with  them  in  the  Circus,  will 
they  not  reckon  our  religion  a  cheat  and  enter- 
tain the  same  suspicion  of  us  all?  They  will 
sharpen  their  tongues  against  us  all,  and  for  the 
offence  of  a  few,  condemn  the  whole  body  of 
Christians."  How  true  this  is  to-day  as  well ; 
and  of  how  many  professing  Christians  might 
these  words  be  repeated  ;  yet  they  were  uttered 


78  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

nearly  1500  years  ago — so  unchanged  is  human 
nature. 

To  recapitulate,  we  find  that  Lenten  observ- 
ances during  the  post-Nicene  period,  affected 
Christians  in  their  ecclesiastical,  civil  and 
domestic  relations  ;  that  they  were  positive  and 
negative  directions  what  to  do,  and  what  not 
to  do.  We  notice  too  how  they  affected  the 
details  of  life,  prescribing  rules  for  the  minutest 
circumstances.  According  to  the  thought  of 
those  early  years  men  and  women  had  to  be 
directed  in  most  of  the  details  of  the  conduct 
of  life.  Large  principles  with  diverse  applica- 
tions to  diverse  circumstances  were  dropping 
out  of  sight.  The  State  in  those  days  re- 
spected neither  privacy  nor  individual  liberty, 
but  whenever  it  felt  disposed  intruded  into, 
and  interfered  with  the  most  sacred  relations. 
It  is  scarcely  to  be  expected  that  the  Church, 
living  in  this  atmosphere  and  thus  environed, 
could  escape  the  time  spirit.  We  are  all  more 
or  less  influenced  by  the  thought  of  our  age, 
the  social  and  intellectual   atmosphere  which 


Lenten  Observances.  79 

surrounds  us.  So  the  Church,  newly  alHed  to 
the  State,  most  naturally  adopted  for  its  gov- 
ernment many  of  the  state  ideas,  and  was  in- 
fluenced by  the  prevailing  thought  and  custom 
of  the  period.  As  a  matter  of  course  it  pre- 
scribed minute  directions  for  the  conduct  of 
individuals  in  all  their  earthly  relations.  To 
have  expected  anything  different  would  be  to 
expect  the  people  of  those  days  of  the  fourth 
century  to  think  and  act  as  those  of  this  nine- 
teenth century. 

Now  in  consideration  of  the  ancient  usages 
of  Lent  and  their  application  to  our  times, 
what  shall  be  our  attitude  to  them  ?  Shall  we 
say  they  are  all  wrong  and  need  no  attention, 
in  fact  may  be  treated  with  contempt?  or 
shall  we  on  the  other  hand  observe  them  to 
the  minutest  particulars  and  reverence  them 
because  of  their  antiquity  ?  Shall  we  ignore 
them  altogether,  or  shall  we  observe  their 
every  jot  and  tittle  ?  Thus  some  to-day  would 
have  the  Church  impose  minute  regulations 
governing   the    details     of     daily   life,    others 


8o  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

would  reject  any  imposition  whatever,  even  of 
a  season  of  Lent.  The  former  err,  I  think,  in 
trying  to  revive  in  the  nineteenth  century, 
conditions  of  thought  and  life  of  the  fourth 
and  fifth  centuries — an  impossibility  because 
of  our  totally  changed  circumstances  and  en- 
vironment ;  the  latter  err  in  that  they  break  the 
continuity  of  life,  and  though  right  in  requir- 
ing changed  rules  for  changed  circumstances, 
ignore  the  truth  of  the  sameness  of  human 
nature  in  all  centuries,  in  the  nineteenth  as  in 
the  first.  But  are  these  two  the  only  alterna- 
tive ;  implicit  acceptance  of  the  past  as  a 
standard  of  guidance,  and  on  the  other  hand 
total  repudiation  of  that  past ;  or  is  there  not 
still  another  alternative  which  will  harmonize 
the  present  with  the  past,  individualism  with 
authority,  liberty  with  law  ?  I  think  there  is 
this  alternative,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  the 
true  course  to  follow  is  to  try  to  gather  the 
spirit  and  reason  for  the  specific  observances  of 
the  early  Church,  and  then  having  discerned 
the  principles  underlying  these  usages,  to  en- 


Lenten  Observances.  8 1 


deavor  to  apply  them  with  the  necessary  modi- 
fications to  modern  Church  life,  social  life,  and 
the  individual  life.  We  should  be  neither  wil- 
ful and  obstinate  iconoclasts,  neither  should  we 
be  blind  worshippers  of  tradition.  We  must 
remember  that  reasons  and  principles  lay  back 
of  most  of  the  Lenten  rules  which  the  early 
Church  laid  down,  and  if  we  can  grasp  them, 
then  I  think  we  shall  have  a  clue  for  our  pres- 
ent conduct. 

Now  what  are  the  principles  lying  back  of 
the  details  of  Lenten  observance  ?  Are  they 
not  that  there  is  a  moral  necessity  in  the  life 
of  every  individual  to  give  at  stated  times,  in 
addition  to  the  ordinary  regular  attention  to 
the  religious  life,  some  special  attention  to  re- 
Hgious  duties,  to  the  stirring  up  and  quicken- 
ing of  the  spiritual  life  to  increased  piety  and 
devotion  ;  also  the  need  of  there  being  some 
fixed  time  set  for  this  special  attention  to  be 
given,  otherwise  the  weakness  of  our  nature 
will  not  of  itself  make  the  time  ;  and  also  that 
this  set  time  is  intended  for  us  to  get  at  the 


82  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

roots  of  our  religious  life,  ''  to  dig  about  them 
and  dung  them  " ;  to  set  before  ourselves  the 
duty  of  earnest  and  sincere  self-examination, 
of  true  repentance,  of  steady  self-discipline ; 
and  to  achieve  these  the  Church  would  afford 
us  increased  services  as  helps,  multiplied  ser- 
mons and  communions  ;  and  also  because  she 
knows  that  we  are  easily  distracted  she  would 
suggest  the  inexpediency  at  this  time  of  Lent 
of  engaging  in  festivities,  pleasures,  banquet- 
ings — perfectly  lawful  and  harmless  in  them- 
selves in  moderation,  but  which  at  this  sea- 
son would  perhaps  seriously  interfere  with  our 
attention  and  determined  efforts  to  win  and 
maintain  a  higher  level  of  holy  thought  and 
hfe. 

This  then  is,  I  think,  the  position  of  the 
Church  to-day:  It  recognizes  the  changed 
conditions  of  thought  and  life,  and  how  im- 
possible it  is  to  prescribe  details  of  conduct, 
and  to  regulate  the  minutiae  of  domestic  life. 
She  knows,  too,  that  with  the  greatest  diversity 
of  circumstances   to   prescribe  minute  details 


Lenten  Observances.  83 

and  rules  for  conduct  would  be  likely  to  injure 
some  where  it  was  intended  to  help ;  and 
perhaps  still  more  it  might  lead  some  to  a 
certain  unconscious  reliance  upon  the  meritori- 
ousness  of  works,  supposing  that  outward 
observances  made  up  for  inward  reform — a 
mistake  that  all  too  minute  regulation  of  life  is 
apt  to  engender ; — that  formality  is  necessarily 
sincerity,  and  that  the  postures  of  the  body  in- 
dicate the  posture  of  the  heart :  accordingly 
the  Church  would  lay  down  broad  principles 
such  as  I  have  already  stated  and  leave  them 
for  each  of  us  to  apply  to  our  individual  cir- 
cumstances. She  says  now  is  the  holy  season 
of  Lent — called  so  because  of  its  purpose,  viz  . 
to  increase  in  us  holiness — a  time  it  is  for  self- 
examination  and  prayer,  a  time  for  self-disci- 
pline and  charity,  a  time  for  repentance  and  for- 
giveness, a  time  to  draw  closer  to  God  and  to 
Idealize  more  truly  the  sweetness  of  com- 
munion with  Him,  a  time  to  consider  how 
transitory  this  life  is  and  how  we  are  hastening 
to  the  life  beyond  the  veil ; — therefore  increased 


84  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

services  are  afforded  which  may  be  helpful  if 
you  will  use  them  as  helps,  but  the  Church  does 
not  say  how  many  services  or  which  you  shall 
attend,  she  leaves  that  to  you  to  decide  accord- 
ing to  your  individual  circumstances.  Once 
more,  she  advises  self-denial  and  abstinence, 
but  she  does  not  prescribe  the  precise  form  it 
shall  take,  she  leaves  that  to  you  to  decide. 
If  you  are  lovers  of  rich  living,  then  it  might 
take  the  form  of  abstinence  from  food  or 
luxuries  of  diet ;  if  you  are  excessively  fond  of 
gaiety  and  pleasure  and  of  social  enjoyment, 
then  your  abstinence  might  take  the  form  of 
seclusion,  retirement,  the  abandonment  of 
pleasures  which  so  fritter  away  what  holy 
thought  and  purpose  you  possess  ;  if  you  are 
fond  of  gay  clothing,  then  your  abstinence 
might  take  the  form  of  dressing  in  less  striking 
costumes ;  if  you  are  fond  of  hoarding,  then 
your  abstinence  might  take  the  form  of 
almsgiving  in  more  generous  and  bountiful 
measure ;  if  your  tongue  is  given  easily  to 
slander  or  to  speak  harshly,  then  your  absti- 


Lenten  Observances.  85 

nence  might  take  the  form  of  learning  to 
speak  well  and  kindly  of  your  neighbor.  Thus 
without  multiplying  illustrations,  we  may  each 
apply  the  principles  which  lie  at  the  bottom 
for  the  appointment  of  this  holy  season  to 
every  relation  of  our  life,  ecclesiastical,  civil, 
and  domestic ;  yes,  if  we  will,  we  may  apply 
these  principles  with  even  greater  minuteness 
than  the  early  Church  ever  could,  because  of 
the  great  subdivision  of  life  which  obtains  to- 
day, and  so  by  the  diversity  of  application  to 
differing  individual  needs  and  circumstances 
we  can  each  of  us  make  this  season  more  search- 
ing and  more  helpful  than  any  arbitrary  impo- 
sition of  specific  rules  common  to  all  alike. 

This  then  is  the  thought  I  would  close  with. 
Circumstances  to-day  differ  radically  from  what 
they  did  in  the  early  post-Nicene  age.  The 
thought  and  life  of  our  time  are  also  totally 
different,  yet  in  spite  of  changed  circumstances 
our  deepest  needs  are  the  same,  and  our  human 
nature  with  its  weakness  and  follies,  its  crimes 
and   its  sins  is   the  same.     The   fundamental 


86  Le7tt — Past  and  Present. 


principles  governing  the  spiritual  life  remain  to- 
day as  true  as  they  did  1500  years  ago.  We 
need  some  set  time  for  special  examination  and 
prayer,  and  determined  effort  to  overcome  be- 
setting sins  and  rise  to  the  life  of  righteousness, 
but  different  conditions  of  life  require  different 
application  of  the  means  at  our  disposal.  In- 
dividual prescription  must  take  the  place  of 
ecclesiastical  prescription  ;  only  in  the  broad 
liberty  granted  to  us  of  personal  application 
let  us  beware  lest  our  very  liberty  tempt  us  to 
make  no  application  whatsoever,  and  thus  we 
lose  not  only  what  benefit  individual  prescrip- 
tion but  also  what  benefit  external  prescription 
might  afford  us.  Let  not  our  liberty  run  to 
license.  Let  not  the  boast  of  possessing  prin- 
ciples lead  us  to  ignore  all  practice.  The  sea- 
son of  Lent  is  yours  to  profit  withal— see  that 
you  do  not  fail  of  profit  because  the  Church 
has  not  prescribed  minute  rules  to  govern 
your  conduct  and  life,  has  not  imposed  upon 
you  the  tithe  of  mint,  anise  and  cummin. 


IV. 

Fasting, 


IV. 

FASTING. 

He  that  eateth,  eateth  to  the  Lord,  for  he  giveth  God 
thanks  ;  and  he  that  eateth  not,  to  the  Lord  he  eateth 
not,  and  giveth  God  thanks.     Romans  xiv.  6. 

'T^HE  question  of  fasting  is  one  that  has 
-*■  always  given  more  or  less  occasion  of  dif- 
ference of  opinion,  both  as  to  its  necessity,  and 
also  as  to  its  practice.  By  some  fasting  has 
been  looked  upon  as  an  end  in  itself,  and  a 
rigid  observance  has  been  insisted  upon ;  by 
others  it  has  been  looked  upon  only  as  a  means 
to  an  end  and  so  modifications  have  been 
made  according  to  circumstances ;  by  others 
again  its  value  either  as  end  or  means  is  abso- 
lutely denied  and  never  practiced.  Until  the 
end  of  time  there  will  doubtless  be  these  differ- 
ences of  views  dependent  on  the  temperament 
or  religious  associations  of  individuals. 


90  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

Still  it  may  be  stated  that  the  practice  of 
fasting  is  by  no  means  limited  to  Christians. 
Fasting  is  common  among  many  Oriental  relig- 
ionists, and  indeed  we  may  say  that  the  ascetic 
idea  of  the  value  of  the  mortification  of  the 
flesh  by  fasting  or  other  bodily  discipline  is 
Oriental  rather  than  Occidental.  To  this  very 
day  among  Eastern  nations,  some  of  the  forms 
of  religion  of  the  East  put  a  high  value  on 
fasting,  and  see  in  it  either  a  means  of  attain- 
ing a  high  state  of  sanctity  or  else  regard  it  as 
an  end  in  itself.  Even  Islam  has  its  annual 
monthly  fast  of  Ramadan,  which  is  kept  by 
Mohammedans  with  religious  strictness. 

In  considering  the  question  of  fasting  in  the 
Christian  Church  and  its  relation  to  the  Lenten 
season,  I  shall  not  enter  into  any  abstract  dis- 
cussion of  the  value  or  non-value  of  fasting,  but 
simply  endeavor  to  state  what  was  the  actual 
practice  in  the  early  Church,  and  note  certain 
consequences  of  abuse  which  followed  upon 
the  attempt  to  lay  down  minute  rules  for  fast- 
ing.    When  we  approach  this  subject  we  need 


Fasting,  91 

to  bear  in  mind  the  early  geographical  origin 
of  the  Church,  viz.  its  origin  in  Eastern  lands 
and  among  an  Eastern  people.  We  must 
remember  the  associations,  the  atmosphere  of 
thought,  the  native  practices  and  habits  which 
environed  the  early  Christians,  if  we  are  to 
gain  a  fair  estimate  of  their  regard  for  fasting. 
Let  us  remember  then  that  the  teachers  and 
converts  of  the  early  Church  were  chiefly 
Orientals,  whose  manner  of  life  was  totally 
different  from  ours ;  let  us  also  consider  that 
the  difference  of  climate  between  the  East  and 
the  West  must  never  be  lost  sight  of.  With 
these  preliminary  thoughts  we  may  now  pro- 
ceed to  consider  the  usages  of  fasting  during 
Lent  in  the  early  Church. 

L  Time.  Daily — how  long?  Weekly — 
how  many  days  ?  The  first  fact  that  we  note 
concerning  fasting  particularly  in  the  Eastern 
Church  is  the  strictness  with  which  the  fast 
was  observed.  It  "consisted  in  a  perfect 
abstinence  from  all  sustenance  for  the  whole 
day  till    evening"  in  the  case  of  those  who 


92  Lent — Past  and  Present, 

were  piously  disposed  and  able  to  abstain  thus 
long.  Others  "fasted  till  nine  o'clock,  that  is 
three  in  the  afternoon."  In  regard  to  the 
days  of  the  week,  the  Eastern  Church  kept  as 
fast  days  all  days  of  Lent  except  Saturday  and 
Sunday ;  while  the  Western  Church  kept 
Saturday  as  well.  This  accounts  for  the  differ- 
ence of  time  of  beginning  the  Lenten  fast 
which  exists  between  the  Eastern  and  Western 
Churches,  though  the  actual  days  of  fasting 
agree  in  number.  There  were  also  certain 
special  usages  in  connection  with  fasting  that 
were  limited  more  to  the  week  before  Easter, 
such  as  absolute  fasting  for  the  whole  week  if 
possible  by  those  able  to  forego  food  entirely 
for  so  long  a  time,  or  the  disuse  of  food  by 
others  through  the  days  of  Good  Friday  and 
Easter-even.  But  apart  from  these  more 
rigorous  practices  we  may  say  that  fasting  in 
the  early  Church  meant  a  total  abstinence 
from  food  on  all  the  strict  fasting  days  of  Lent 
until  three  in  the  afternoon,  or  even  until  the 
eveniner. 


Fasting.  93 

II.  Kind  and  variety  of  food,  also  its 
quality.  We  next  ask  what  was  the  practice 
as  to  the  food  to  be  taken,  after  fasting,  because 
this  is  a  point  on  which  much  misapprehension 
exists  to-day  by  reason  of  the  modern  usage  of 
the  Roman  church.  In  this  respect  of  the 
kind  of  food  to  be  taken,  we  learn  that  in  the 
early  Church  a  great  variety,  in  fact  all  varie- 
ties of  food  were  allowed.  The  historian 
Socrates,  writing  of  the  diverse  practices  of  the 
early  Church  in  regard  to  its  Lenten  fast,  says, 
"■  Some  abstained  from  all  living  creatures ; 
others  of  all  living  creatures  only  ate  fish ; 
some  ate  fowls  together  with  fish  ;  others  ab- 
stained from  berries  and  eggs ;  others  ate  dry 
bread  only;  and  some  not  so  much  as  that." 
In  this  account  we  notice  the  wide  latitude  of 
choice,  there  being  no  restriction  in  kinds  of 
food.  The  great  object  was  to  practice  moder- 
ation in  eating,  was  to  put  a  restraint  upon 
excessive  indulgence.  We  may  safely  say  that 
in  the  beginning  there  was  no  rule  requiring 
abstinence  during  Lent  from  any  special  kinds 


94  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

of  food,  whether  flesh,  fowl,  or  otherwise,  pro- 
vided after  the  period  of  abstinence  had  ex- 
pired all  foods  were  used  with  sobriety  and  in 
moderation.  The  abstinence  and  fast  con- 
sisted therefore  not  in  abstaining  from  any 
particular  kind  of  food,  but  in  moderate  use  of 
all  foods.  Generally,  indeed,  there  was  absti- 
nence from  ^'  flesh  and  wine  and  fish  and  all 
other  delicacies  at  this  season  ;  but  yet  there 
was  no  such  universal  rule,  or  custom,  in  this 
matter,  but  that  when  men  had  fasted  all  the 
day,  they  were  allowed  to  refresh  themselves 
with  a  moderate  supper  upon  flesh  or  any 
other  food  without  distinction."  So  soon 
however  as  restrictions  in  kinds  of  food  were 
attempted,  straightway  the  ingenuity  of  man 
found  means  of  observing  the  letter  yet  of 
violating  its  spirit.  "  The  greatest  ascetics 
made  no  scruple  to  eat  flesh  in  Lent  when  a 
just  occasion  required  it,"  but  there  were 
some  observers  of  Lent  who  made  a  pretence 
of  fasting  because  they  abstained  from  flesh 
meat,    while    they    deliberately    violated    the 


Fasting.  95 

spirit  of  abstinence.  St.  Augustine  has  a  word 
for  these  self-deceivers.  ''  There  are  some  ob- 
servers of  Lent,"  says  he,  "that  study  deli- 
ciousness  more  than  rehgion,  and  seek  out  new 
pleasures  for  the  belly,  more  than  how  to 
chastise  the  concupiscence  of  the  old  man.  .  .  . 
They  are  afraid  of  any  vessels  in  which 
flesh  has  been  boiled,  as  if  they  were  unclean  ; 
and  yet  in  their  own  flesh  fear  not  the  luxury 
of  the  throat  and  the  belly.  These  men  fast, 
not  to  diminish  their  wonted  voracity  by  tem- 
perance, but  by  deferring  a  meal  to  increase 
their  immoderate  greediness.  For  when  the 
time  of  refreshment  comes  they  rush  to  their 
plentiful  tables  as  beasts  to  their  manger,  and 
stuff  their  bellies  with  great  variety  of  artificial 
and  strange  sauces,  taking  in  more  by  devour- 
ing than  they  are  able  to  digest  again  by 
fasting.  There  are  some,  likewise,  who  drink 
no  wine,  that  they  may  provide  themselves 
other  more  agreeable  liquors  to  gratify  their 
taste,  rather  than  set  forward  their  salvation  ; 
as  if  Lent  were  intended  not  for  the  observa- 


96  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

tion  of  a  pious  humiliation,  but  as  an  occasion 
of  seeking  out  new  pleasures."  Thus  we  see 
that  as  soon  as  men  were  limited  to  particular 
kinds  of  food  the  principle  of  abstinence  was 
violated,  though  the  letter  might  be  kept.  St. 
Augustine  on  this  violation  of  the  spirit  of 
abstinence  says  not  unjustly  that  that  was  no 
fast  if  the  "  abstinence  of  the  day  was  spoiled 
by  any  immoderate  indulgence  of  an  evening 
banquet ;  much  less  did  he  esteem  it  a  fast  to 
dine  upon  delicacies  as  a  substitute  for  the 
abstinence  from  flesh." 

The  early  Church  did  not  make  the  fast  con- 
sist in  simple  abstinence  from  a  particular 
kind  of  food ;  it  would  reach  a  deeper  princi- 
ple and  result  than  such  superficial  prescrip- 
tion. '*  The  pretence  of  keeping  Lent  only  by 
change  of  diet  from  flesh  to  fish,  or  a  more 
delicious  food,  Avhich  allows  men  the  use  of 
wine  and  other  delicacies,  is  but  a  mock  fast, 
and  a  mere  innovation  utterly  unknown  to  the 
ancients." 

If    I    understand   the    principle    of    fasting 


Fasting,  97 

which  the  early  Church  laid  down,  it  would  be 
that  fasting  consisted  not  simply  in  abstinence 
from  food  for  a  stated  length  of  time,  and 
from  a  certain  kind  of  food,  but  it  was  the  prac- 
tice of  moderation  in  all  kinds  of  food  at  all 
times,  with  a  total  abstinence  from  food  for  a 
certain  portion  of  all  the  fasting  days  of  Lent ; 
and  that  together  with  his  moderation  should 
be  exercised  charity,  almsgiving,  forgiveness, 
and  other  Christian  deeds  of  mercy.  We  also 
are  led  to  believe  that  the  liberty  of  the  in- 
dividual was  left  untouched  in  great  measure  ; 
that  each  was  to  be  his  own  judge  of  his 
ability  to  fast.  In  proof  of  this  we  may  quote 
from  the  greatest  of  the  early  preachers,  and 
also  most  reasonable  of  Fathers,  St.  Chrysos- 
tom.  He  says  to  his  hearers  during  Lent, 
"  If  thou  canst  not  pass  all  the  day  fasting  by 
reason  of  bodily  weakness  no  wise  man  can 
condemn  thee  for  this.  For  we  have  a  kind 
and  merciful  Lord,  who  requires  nothing  of  us 
above  our  strength.  He  neither  requires  ab- 
stinence from  meat,  nor  fasting  simply  of  us ; 


98  Lent — Past  and  Present 


nor  that  for  this  end,  we  should  continue  with- 
out eating  only ;  but  that  sequestering  our- 
selves from  worldly  affairs,  we  should  spend 
all  our  leisure  time  in  spiritual  things.  For  if 
we  would  order  our  lives  soberly,  and  lay  out 
our  spare  hours  upon  spiritual  things,  and  eat 
only  so  much  as  we  had  need  of  and  nature 
required,  and  spend  our  whole  lives  in  good 
works,  we  should  not  need  the  help  of  fasting." 
Then  he  proceeds  to  advise  as  follows — at- 
tempting thereby  to  correct  abuses  in  the 
matter  which  had  become  prevalent:  "If 
therefore  there  be  any  here  present  who  are 
hindered  by  bodily  infirmity  and  cannot  con- 
tinue all  the  day  fasting,  I  exhort  them  to  have 
regard  to  the  weakness  of  their  bodies.  .  .  . 
For  there  are  many  ways  besides  abstinence 
from  meat  which  will  open  to  us  the  door  of 
confidence  towards  God.  He  therefore  that 
eats  and  cannot  fast,  let  him  give  the  more 
plentiful  alms;  let  him  be  more  fervent  in 
his  prayers  ;  let  him  show  the  greater  alacrity 
and  readiness  in  hearing  the  divine  oracle ;  let 


Fasting.  99 

him  be  reconciled  to  his  enemies,  and  forget 
injuries,  and  cast  all  thoughts  of  revenge  out 
of  his  mind.  He  that  does  these  things  will 
show  forth  the  true  fasting  which  the  Lord 
chiefly  requires." 

Thus  we  see  it  was  something  more  than 
abstinence  in  eating  and  drinking  that  was 
involved  in  the  Lenten  fast  as  St.  Chrysostom 
understood  it.  '*  Tell  them  what  the  apostle 
says,  '  Both  he  that  eateth,  eateth  to  the  Lord  ; 
and  he  that  eateth  not,  to  the  Lord  he  eateth 
not,  and  giveth  God  thanks,'  therefore  he  that 
fasteth  giveth  God  thanks,  who  has  enabled 
him  to  bear  the  labor  of  fasting ;  and  he  that 
eateth  gives  God  thanks  Hkewise,  that  this  is 
no  prejudice  to  the  salvation  of  his  soul  if  he 
be  otherwise  willing  and  obedient."  In  a  word, 
every  particular  church  in  the  beginning  in  a 
great  measure  on  this  question  of  fasting  **  left 
all  her  members  to  judge  of  their  own  abilities 
by  Christian  prudence  and  discretion  ;  exhort- 
ing men  to  fast,  but  imposing  rigidly  upon 
none  more  than  they  were  able  and  willing  to 


100  Lent — Past  and  Present, 

bear,  nor  enforcing  it  under  pain  of  ecclesias- 
tical censure." 

Our  study  so  far  will  lead  us  to  learn  that 
fasting  was  not  an  end  in  itself.  It  had  two 
objects — one  which  looked  to  some  gain  for 
the  individual  practicing  it ;  another  which 
looked  to  procuring  some  benefit  for  others. 
For  the  individual  profit  it  was  desired  that 
the  one  fasting  should  practice  moderation, 
that  he  devote  more  time  to  spiritual  exer- 
cises, that  he  abstain  from  unseemly  and  un- 
seasonable amusements  and  from  pleasures  at 
this  time  inexpedient.  For  the  profit  of 
others  it  was  desired  that  the  faster  should 
exercise  forgiveness,  cast  out  revenge,  and 
through  savings  made  from  abstinence  in  food, 
luxuries  and  other  expenses,  be  enabled  to 
assist  more  liberally  with  alms  the  poor. 
Thus  one  of  the  early  Fathers  says,  ''  That  which 
is  gained  by  the  fast  at  dinner  ought  not  to 
be  turned  into  a  feast  at  supper  but  expended 
for  the  feeding  of  the  poor."  So  too  Leo  the 
Great: — ''That  which  is  not    expended    upon 


Pasting.  lot 

our  tables  should  be  laid  out  in  alms,  and 
then  it  will  bring  us  in  great  gain."  So 
Chrysologus  :  "  Fasting  without  mercy  is  but 
an  image  of  famine  ;  fasting  without  works  of 
piety  is  only  an  occasion  of  covetousness,  be- 
cause by  such  sparing  what  is  taken  from  the 
body  only  swells  in  the  purse." 

Herein  lies  the  danger  of  all  bodily  and 
outward  observances  that  they  become  formal, 
that  they  produce  no  spiritual  profit,  unless 
we  guard  our  motives,  and  constantly  examine 
ourselves. 

Even  in  so  early  a  time  as  that  of  St.  Chry- 
sostom  the  danger  was  noticed  ;  already  the 
abuse  of  fasting  was  making  way.  He  says, 
**  It  was  usual  in  Lent  for  the  people  to  ask 
one  another  how  many  weeks  they  had  fasted, 
and  one  would  answer  he  had  fasted  two 
weeks,  another  three,  another  all."  To  this 
that  Father  replies :  "  And  what  advantage  is 
it,  if  we  have  kept  the  fast  without  mending 
our  morals  ?  If  another  says  '  I  have  fasted 
the  whole  Lent,'  say  thou  *  I  had  an  enemy 


102  Lent — Past  and  Present, 

and  I  am  reconciled  to  him ;  I  had  a  custom 
of  reviling  and  I  have  left  it  off ;  I  was  used  to 
swearing  and  I  have  broken  the  evil  habit.' 
It  is  of  no  advantage  to  fast,  if  our  fasting  do 
not  produce  such  fruits  as  these."  **Let  no 
one,"  he  continues,  "  place  his  confidence  in 
fasting  only,  if  he  continues  in  his  sins  without 
reforming.  For  it  may  be,  that  one  who  fasts 
not  at  all  may  obtain  pardon,  if  he  has  the 
excuse  of  bodily  infirmity;  but  he  that  does 
not  correct  his  sins  can  have  no  excuse."  And 
once  more,  to  correct  the  abuse  of  supposing 
that  a  bare  fast  was  sufficient,  St.  Chrysostom 
warns,  "  Let  us  set  a  guard  upon  our  ears,  our 
tongues,  our  minds,  and  not  think  that  bare 
fasting  till  the  evening  is  sufficient  for  our 
salvation.  What  profit  is  it  to  fast  and  eat 
nothing  all  the  day  if  you  give  yourself  to 
playing  at  dice,  and  other  vain  pastimes,  and 
spend  the  whole  day  many  times  in  perjuries 
and  blasphemies  ?  The  true  fast  is  abstinence 
from  vices.  He  that  fasts  ought  above  all 
things  to  bridle  his  anger ;  to  learn  meekness 


Pasting.  103 

and  clemency  ;  to  have  a  contrite  heart ;  to 
banish  the  thoughts  of  all  inordinate  desires ; 
to  set  the  watchful  eye  of  God  before  his  eyes, 
and  His  uncorrupted  judgment ;  to  set  himself 
above  riches,  and  exercise  great  liberality  in 
giving  of  alms ;  and  to  expel  every  evil 
thought  against  his  neighbor  out  of  his  soul. 
This  is  the  true  fast.  Therefore  let  this  be 
our  care  and  let  us  not  imagine  as  many  do, 
that  we  have  fasted  rightly  when  we  have 
abstained  from  eating  until  evening.  This  is 
not  the  thing  required  of  us,  but  that  together 
with  our  abstinence  from  meat,  we  should 
abstain  from  those  things  that  hurt  the  soul, 
and  diligently  exercise  ourselves  in  things  of  a 
spiritual  nature." 

We  are  now  in  a  position  to  gather  up  in  a 
few  sentences  what  was  the  fast  of  the  early 
Church.  We  may  say  that  if  people  were  in 
health  and  able  to  endure  fasting  the  rule  and 
custom  was  that  they  should  fast  all  the  days 
of  Lent — Saturday  and  Sunday  excepted  in 
the  East,   whereas  in   the  West   Saturday  was 


104  Z^;// — Past  and  Present. 

included.  Next,  that  this  fasting  when  prac- 
ticed consisted  in  abstaining  from  food  from 
the  morning  until  three  in  the  afternoon,  or 
sometimes  until  the  evening ;  further,  that 
originally  there  was  no  rule  as  to  diet,  but  each 
person  decided  for  himself  what  the  food 
should  be  which  he  would  eat  after  fasting, 
taking  care  however  that  the  repast  after  the 
diurnal  fast  should  be  moderate,  and  that 
abstinence  from  any  particular  kind  of  food 
should  not  be  made  an  excuse  for  indulging 
immoderately  in  other  foods  even  more  deli- 
cious simply  because  they  might  not  be  flesh. 
Next,  as  to  the  purpose  of  fasting,  it  was  not  an 
end  but  a  means  ;  it  looked  to  the  spiritual 
improvement  of  the  faster,  and  also  to  the 
temporal  improvement  of  those  less  favored. 
Fasting  was  designed  for  the  individual  to  sub- 
due his  appetites,  passions,  anger,  to  increase 
the  life  of  the  spirit,  to  raise  the  whole  tone  of 
living ;  and  next,  designed  for  the  benefit  of 
others,  that  by  the  repression  of  luxuries, 
indulgences  and  expenses,  the  one  thus  prac- 


Pasting.  105 

■"    ■    - ' 

ticing  self-denial  might  bestow  alms  of  all  that 
was  thus  saved.  What  was  saved  was  not  to 
be  kept  for  future  indulgence,  but  was  to  be 
given  to  the  poor,  otherwise  there  was  no 
virtue  in  economy  and  retrenchment.  Then 
there  were  exceptions.  In  fact,  every  one 
decided  for  himself  how  rigid  should  be  his 
fast,  and  for  those  unable  to  fast  at  all,  the 
Church  made  ample  allowance,  insisting  more 
on  the  need  of  spiritual  fasting  and  discipline 
than  on  the  physical,  and  so  would  put  a  check 
on  those  who  might  be  inclined  to  indulge  in 
the  pharisaic  complacency  that  their  absti- 
nence made  them  better  than  those  who  did  not 
fast.  This  thought  leads  us  to  notice  that  the 
abuse  of  the  purpose  of  fasting  soon  crept  into 
the  Church  ;  that  by  some  the  letter  which 
kills  was  observed,  whereas  the  spirit  which 
giveth  life  was  ignored. 

But  now  we  ask  how  shall  we  apply  this 
practice  of  fasting  to  our  modern  church  life, 
and  to  ourselves  in  this  new  continent  unknown 
to  the  early  Church.     There  will  be  no  diffi- 


io6  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

culty   in  seeing  how    far  the    practice  can  be 
adopted,  if  we   keep  in  mind  what  one  of  the 
greatest  of  the  Fathers   of   the   early  Church 
would  insist  upon,  viz.  that  fasting  was  a  means 
to  an    end,  not  the    end.     If,   therefore,  as    a 
means  it  fails  to  be  valuable,  then  of  course  it 
is  to  be  disused.     We  must  consider  whether  it 
does  fail  in  our  time  and  land  to  be  useful,  or 
whether  it  can  be  practiced  so  as  to  benefit  us. 
I  am  of  the  opinion  that  no  definite  rule  for 
fasting  can  be  laid  down,  and  the  practice  even 
when  adopted  can  only  be  observed  with  the 
largest  allowances  and  exceptions  owing  to  dif- 
ferences of  climate,  labor,  living  and    individ- 
uals.    Those  who    live  in    cold    regions  need 
more  food,  and  more   frequently,  in  order  to 
sustain  life,  than  those   do  who  live  in  warm 
latitudes.     Again,  those  who  work  hard,  as  most 
do  in  our   land,  need   to   eat   more  than  those 
who  labor   intermittently,  as  in  Eastern   lands. 
Once  more,  those  who   eat  less  at  each   meal 
will  need    to   eat    oftener    than    those   whose 
habitual  practice  is  to  eat  only  two   meals  a 


Pasting.  107 

■    -  I  —  -  — ■■  ■- 

day,  but  then  to  eat  fully.  Let  me  here  quote 
the  words  of  one  who  would  press  the  duty  of 
physical  fasting  as  far  as  it  can  be.  *'  The 
Church  of  England, "  says  Blunt,  *'  has  not 
expressly  defined  any  rule  on  the  subject  of 
fasting"  (still  less  has  our  American  Church). 
''The  work  that  is  set  before  most  persons,  in 
the  Providence  of  God,  at  the  present  day, 
makes  it  quite  impossible  for  those  who  have 
to  do  it,  to  fast  every  day  for  six  weeks  until 
evening,  or  even  to  take  one  meal  only  in  the 
day.  And  the  ordinary  mode  of  living  is  so 
restrained  among  religious  persons,  that  such  a 
custom  would  soon  reduce  them  to  an  invalid 
condition,  in  which  they  could  not  do  their 
duty  properly  in  the  station  of  life  to  which 
God  has  called  them,  whether  in  the  world  or 
in  the  sanctuary.  And  although  it  may  seem 
at  first  that  men  ought  to  be  able  to  fast  in  the 
nineteenth  century  as  strictly  as  they  did  in 
the  sixteenth,  the  twelth  or  the  third,  yet  it 
should  be  remembered  that  (our)  continuous 
labor  of  life  was  unknown  to  the  great  majority 


lo8  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

of  persons  in  ancient  days ;  and  (also)  that  the 
quantity  and  quality  of  the  food  which  now 
forms  a  full  meal  is  only  equivalent  to  what 
would  have  been  an  extremely  spare  one  until 
comparatively  modern  days."  "  The  problem 
the  modern  Christian  has  to  solve  is  to  recon- 
cile the  duty  of  fasting.  .  .  .  with  the  duty  of 
properly  accomplishing  the  work  which  God 
has  set  him  to  do,  that  he  may  fulfil  both  duties 
as  a  faithful  servant."  Once  more,  because  of 
our  large  differences  of  occupation,  manner  of 
life,  habits,  no  one  can  lay  down  for  another 
what  shall  be  the  degree  of  abstinence  which 
he  shall  observe.  Yet  because  no  one  can  lay 
down  for  me,  nor  I  for  you  what  degree  of 
abstinence  shall  be  practiced,  shall  there  be 
no  abstinence  ?  There  will  be  if  we  keep  in 
mind  the  purpose  of  abstinence,  though  the 
form  it  may  take  will  not  necessarily  always 
be  physical  fasting.  Thus  those  who  already 
are  inclined  to  gluttony  might  well  practice 
fasting ;  those  who  are  epicurean  in  their 
tastes,    and    are   desirous   of    rich    living   and 


Fasting.  109 


delicacies,  might  forego  some  of  this  choice 
living  ;  while  those  who  without  temptations 
of  the  palate  are  tempted  by  gaiety,  pleasures, 
social  intercourse,  might  abstain  from  ''  theatres, 
balls,  parties,  sumptuous  costumes."  These 
several  forms  of  abstinence  given  as  illustrations 
— they  are  as  manifold  as  the  habits  and  occu- 
pations of  men — will  have  their  advantage  in 
being  just  the  forms  of  discipline  needed  for 
our  differing  temptations  by  giving  us  what  we 
have  saved  in  money  for  enlarged  almsgiving, 
what  we  have  saved  in  time  for  increased  at- 
tendance at  the  public  services  in  church,  or 
for  private  devotions. 

And  now  after  what  has  been  said,  we 
might  well  ask  is  there  much  of  the  fasting  of 
the  early  Church  practiced  by  us — the  actual 
abstinence  from  food  throughout  the  day?  I 
venture  to  think  there  is  not ;  and  I  think  that 
the  whole  manner  of  our  modern  life  precludes 
the  ability  or  the  need. 

What  then  is  the  thought  and  practical 
lesson  to  be  gained  ?     Is  it  not  to  realize  the 


no  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

end  or  purpose  of  all  the  early  Church  obser- 
vances of  fasting,  to  realize  that  ''  the  honor  of 
fasting,"  as  St.  Chrysostom  says,  "  consists  not 
in  abstinence  from  food,  but  in  withdrawing 
from  sinful  practices.  For  let  not  the  mouth 
only  fast  but  also  the  eye,  and  the  ear,  and  the 
feet,  and  the  hands,  and  all  the  members  of  our 
bodies.  Let  the  hands  fast  by  being  pure  from 
rapine  and  avarice.  ^  Let  the  feet  fast  by 
ceasing  to  run  to  unlawful  spectacles.  Let  the 
eyes  fast,  being  taught  never  to  fix  themselves 
rudely  upon  handsome  countenances,  or  to  busy 
themselves  with  strange  beauties.  Let  the 
ear  fast,  refusing  to  receive  evil  speakings  and 
calumnies.  Let  the  mouth,  too,  fast  from  dis- 
graceful speeches  and  railing.  For  what  doth 
it  profit  if  we  abstain  from  birds  and  fishes  ; 
and  yet  bite  and  devour  our  brethren  ?  "  In 
a  word,  **  what  advantage  shall  we  gain  by 
abstinence  from  meats,  if  we  do  not  also  expel 
the  evil  habits  of  the  soul?  " 

The  end  of  all  abstinence  is  self-discipline  in 
its  widest  sense  of  body,  mind  and  will.     If 


Fasting.  Ill 

you  can  practice  fasting,  brethren,  do  so,  if  it 
will  chasten  your  bodies  and  bring  them  into 
subjection,  but  see  to  it  that  you  fast  not 
simply  to  say  you  have  so  done.  If  it  be  not 
a  means  to  a  higher  end — if  fasting  tend  only 
to  self-righteousness,  then  I  say  even  as  did 
Chrysostom  of  old,  of  what  use  fasting  if  the 
soul  be  not  purified  ? 

We  may  sum  up  the  matter  for  ourselves 
somewhat  as  follows  :  Fasting  is  but  a  subor- 
dinate practice — a  special  application — of  the 
higher  and  wider  principle  of  abstinence. 
Abstinence  is  for  all,  fasting  may  be  only  for 
some.  Its  object  is  not  to  subdue  the  flesh, 
but  to  subdue  the  flesh  to  the  spirit.  As  an 
end  in  itself  it  is  valueless  ;  as  a  means  to  an 
end  it  may  be  most  valuable.  Do  not  let  us 
talk  about  it  as  a  rule  of  the  Church  and  then 
pay  no  heed  to  it.  The  Church  to-day  as  in 
its  earliest  days,  would  lay  down  the  principle 
of  abstinence  in  its  highest  and  widest  sense, 
and  leave  the  application  of  this  principle  to 
each  individual  to  make  according  to  his  time 


112  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

and  circumstances.  And  when  all  has  been 
said,  It  may  be  well  to  remember  the  words  of 
the  apostle :  '*  He  that  eateth  eateth  to  the 
Lord,  for  he  giveth  God  thanks  ;  and  he  that 
eateth  not  to  the  Lord  he  eateth  not  and 
giveth  God  thanks."  And  lest  we  who  may- 
practice  fasting  condemn  those  who  fast  not 
let  us  further  remember  the  apostolic  precept : 
**Who  art  thou  that  judgest  another  man's 
servant?  To  his  own  master  he  standeth  or 
falleth." 


V. 

Holy  Week. 


V. 

HOLY  WEEK. 

Now  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread  drew  nigh,  which 
is  called  the  Passover.     Luke  xxii.  i. 

IN  our  consideration  of  the  early  origin  of 
Lent,  its  purpose  and  its  practices,  we  had 
to  omit  mention  of  some  of  the  usages  because 
of  their  special  connection  with  a  certain 
portion  of  the  Lenten  season.  To-day  we  are 
in  a  position  to  take  up  the  observances 
connected  with  the  Great  Week,  as  it  was  called 
— the  week  before  Easter.  In  later  times  and 
in  our  time  the  week  before  Easter  is  known  as 
Holy  Week ;  but  in  the  early  Church — and  it 
is  the  customs  and  usages  of  the  early  rather 
than  the  later  or  mediaeval  Church  which  we 
have   been   considering — in   the   early  Church 


ii6  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

this  week  was  called  the  "  hebdomas  magna'  or 
the  "  great  week  "  before  Easter. 

And  first  it  was  so  called  as  St.  Chrysostom 
tells  us,  "  not  because  it  consisted  of  longer 
days,  or  more  in  number  than  other  weeks,  but 
because  at  this  time  great  things  were  wrought 
for  us  by  our  Lord.  For  in  this  week  the 
ancient  tyranny  of  the  devil  was  dissolved, 
death  was  extinct,  the  strong  man  was  bound, 
his  goods  were  spoiled,  sin  was  abolished,  the 
curse  was  destroyed,  Paradise  was  opened, 
heaven  became  accessible,  men  and  angels 
were  joined  together,  the  middle  wall  of  parti- 
tion was  broken  down,  the  barriers  were  taken 
out  of  the  way,  the  God  of  Peace  made  peace 
between  things  in  heaven  and  things  on  earth, 
therefore  it  is  called  'the  great  week."*  Be- 
cause then  of  the  great  honor  and  special  rev- 
erence in  which  it  was  held,  special  observances 
were  connected  with  it,  and  still  more  with 
certain  days  of  this  week. 

We  will  consider  the  observances  first  for 
the  week  in  general,  and  next  for  certain  of  the 
days  in  particular. 


Holy  Week  ii7 

I.  {a)  This  week  was  the  culmination  of  the 
season  of  Lent,  therefore  at  this  time  many  in- 
creased their  labors  and  disciplined  themselves 
with  greater  strictness  than  ever.     Thus  in  the 
matter  of  fasting,  ''  whereas   in  the  foregoing 
part  of    Lent,    some   refreshment   was    taken 
every  evening,  and  the  Sabbath  (i,  e.  Saturday) 
was  never  observed  as  a  fast,  now   many  not 
only  fasted  on  the   Sabbath  in  this  week,  but 
added  to  it,  some   one  day,    some  two,  some 
three,  some   four,  some  five  days,  which  they 
passed  in  perfect  abstinence,  eating  nothing  all 
this  week  till  the  morning  of  the  resurrection." 
(b)  Then  again,  in  the  matter  of  almsgiving 
and  charity,  during  this  week  many  gave  more 
liberal  alms,  and  ''  exercised  all  kinds  of  charity 
to  those  who  stood  in   need  of   it.     For  the 
nearer   they  approached  to   the   passion    and 
resurrection  of  Christ  by  which  all   the  bless- 
ings in  the  world  were  poured  forth  upon  men, 
the  more  they  thought  themselves  obliged  to 
show  all  manner  of  acts  of  mercy  and  kindness 
toward  their  brethren."     St.  Chrysostom  says 


ii8  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

of  this  week,  '*  As  the  Jews  went  forth  to  meet 
Christ  when  He  had  raised  Lazarus  from  the 
dead,  so  now  not  one  city,  but  all  the  world  go 
forth  to  meet  him,  not  with  palm  branches  in 
their  hands,  but  with  alms-deeds,  humanity, 
virtue,  fasting,  tears,  prayers,  watchings,  and  all 
kinds  of  piety  which  they  offer  to  Christ  their 
Lord." 

{c)  Once  more,  in  the  domestic  economy  of 
families,  "  this  week  before  Easter,  and  the  fol- 
lowing week  was  a  time  of  rest  and  liberty  to 
servants.  All  servants  had  a  vacation  from 
their  ordinary  bodily  labor,  that  they  might 
have  more  leisure  and  opportunity  to  attend 
the  worship  of  God  and  concerns  of  their 
soul."  And  to  give  even  more  effect  to  this 
practice  than  simple  good  will  there  was  a  rule 
directing,  "  In  the  whole  '  great  week  '  (before 
Easter)  and  the  week  following,  let  servants 
rest  from  their  labors ;  because  the  one  is  the 
time  of  our  Lord's  passion,  and  the  other  of 
His  resurrection  ;  and  servants  have  need  to  be 
instructed  in  the  knowledge  of  those  myster- 
les. 


Holy   Week.  119 

{d)  Again,  as  many  servants  were  also  slaves, 
this  week  was  the  time  when  many  masters  in 
great  charity  granted  freedom  to  their  slaves, 
*'  in  imitation  of  the  spiritual  liberty  which 
Christ,  at  this  time,  had  procured  for  all  man- 
kind." 

{/)  Civil  government  was  also  affected  after 
the  alliance  of  the  State  with  the  Church. 
During  this  week  civil  business  ceased,  and 
courts  were  closed.  Referring  to  this  great 
week  St.  Chrysostom  says,  "  And  not  only  we, 
but  the  emperors  of  the  world  honor  this  week, 
making  it  a  time  of  vacation  from  all  civil  busi- 
ness ;  that  the  magistrates,  being  at  liberty 
from  business  of  the  law,  may  spend  all  these 
days  in  spiritual  services.  Let  the  doors  of 
the  courts,  say  they,  now  be  shut  up  ;  let  all 
disputes  and  all  kinds  of  contention  and 
punishment  cease ;  let  the  executioner's  hands 
rest  a  little  ;  common  blessings  are  wrought 
for  us  all  by  our  common  Lord,  let  some 
good  be  done  by  us  His  servants."  This  cessa- 
tion from  all  business  of  the  law  was  decreed 


120  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

by  Constantine,  the  design  being  "■  that  noth- 
ing of  animosity,  or  contention,  or  cruelty,  or 
punishment,  or  bloodshed,  should  appear  at 
this  holy  season,  when  all  men  were  laboring 
to  obtain  mercy  and  pardon  by  the  blood  of 
Christ ;  and  that  men  sequestering  themselves 
from  all  civil  and  worldly  business  might  with 
greater  assiduity  attend  the  exercises  of  piety 
which  were  peculiar  to  the  solemn  occasion." 

(/")  But  imperial  recognition  of  this  solemn 
season  did  not  end  simply  with  the  closing  of 
courts,  Mercy  was  shown  to  prisoners.  ''  Im- 
perial letters,"  says  St.  Chrysostom,  '*  are  sent 
abroad  at  this  time  commanding  all  prisoners 
to  be  set  at  liberty  from  their  chains.  For  as 
our  Lord,  when  He  descended  into  hell,  set 
free  those  that  were  detained  by  death,  so  the 
servants  according  to  their  power,  imitating 
the  kindness  of  their  Lord,  loose  men  from 
their  corporal  bonds  when  they  have  no  power 
to  relax  the  spiritual."  This  imperial  indul- 
gence was  shown  especially  during  this  great 
week  by  the  Emperors  to  all  prisoners — crim- 


Holy   Week,  121 

inals  as  well  as  debtors.  We  notice  also  that 
this  indulgence  was  granted  not  only  in  the 
East  but  also  in  the  West.  For  St  Ambrose  of 
Milan  says,  "  The  holy  days  of  the  last  week  in 
Lent,  was  the  time  when  the  bonds  of  debtors 
used  to  be  loosed."  Pardon  was  granted  "  to 
all  criminals  who  lay  bound  in  prison  for  their 
faults,  except  some  that  were  of  a  more 
malignant  and  unpardonable  nature." 

Such  then  were  some  of  the  special  observ- 
ances of  this  great  week— ecclesiastical,  do- 
mestic, civil.  Greater  strictness,  more  rigorous 
fasting,  deeper  and  prolonged  devotion,  larger 
almsgiving,  increased  deeds  of  charity  and 
works  of  mercy,  servants  were  given  time  to 
attend  the  services  of  the  church  and  to  be 
instructed,  slaves  were  often  given  their  free- 
dom, the  courts  were  closed,  legal  business 
ceased,  and  even  prisoners — criminals  and  debt- 
ors— with  the  exception  of  malignant  and 
capital  prisoners  were  pardoned  and  set  free 
in  these  solemn  days  of  the  great  week 
preceding  Easter. 


122  Le7it — Past  and  Present. 

II.  {a)  We  pass  on  now  to  consider  observ- 
ances connected  with  certain  days  of  this 
great  week.  The  first  of  these  is  Thursday. 
This  day  has  had  many  names  derived  from 
some  circumstance  connected  with  the  first 
great  Thursday,  but  many  of  them  are  of 
late  origin.  Thus  we  have  the  names — the  day 
of  the  Supper  of  the  Lord  ;  the  birthday  of  the 
Eucharist ;  the  birthday  of  the  cup  ;  the  day 
of  the  mysteries ;  the  day  of  the  feet-washing, 
and  Maundy  Thursday.  Most  of  these  names 
explain  themselves  except  perhaps  the  last. 
"  Maundy  Thursday  is  in  all  probability  a  ver- 
nacular corruption  in  English  of '  Dies  Mandati ' 
i.  e.y  the  day  of  the  commandment,  because  on 
this  day  our  Saviour  washed  his  disciples*  feet, 
and  gave  them  commandment  to  follow  His 
example  ;  or  because  He  instituted  the  Sacra- 
ment of  His  Supper  upon  this  day,  command- 
ing His  disciples  to  do  the  same  in  remembrance 
of  Him."  The  name,  however,  which  is  most 
frequently  used  in  the  early  Eastern  Church  is 
that  used  by  St.  Chrysostom,  vis.  "  the  holy 
and  great  fifth  day." 


Holy   Week.  123 

(^)  Having  considered  the  names  we  may 
now  proceed  to  consider  some  of  the  special 
observances  of  this  holy  and  great  fifth  day — 
called  by  us  Maundy  Thursday,  Thursday 
before  Easter,  or  Thursday  in  Holy  Week. 

There  are  two  acts  of  our  Lord  on  the  Thurs- 
day of  the  first  holy  week  which  are  constantly 
called  to  our  mind  by  the  evangelical  records, 
viz.  the  feet-washing,  and  the  institution  of  the 
Last  Supper.  As  to  the  feet-washing,  this  cus- 
tom has  been  preserved  in  various  forms,  and 
for  various  periods  by  some  branches  of  the 
Church.  Its  connection  in  the  early  Church, 
however,  was  chiefly  with  baptism.  Its  per- 
petual obligation  was  never  universally  ack- 
nowledged. Says  Origen  :  ''  It  is  not  necessary 
for  any  one  who  wishes  to  obey  all  the  com- 
mandments of  Jesus,  literally  to  perform  the 
act  of  feet-washing."  Once  again,  in  answer  to 
a  set  of  questions,  concerning  ecclesiastical 
usages  and  the  different  customs  in  different 
parts  of  the  Church,  put  to  him  by  a  friend,  St. 
Augustine  replies,  "  As   to   the    feet-washing, 


124  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

since  the  Lord  recommended  this  because  of 
its  being  an  example  of  that  humility  which  He 
came  to  teach,  as  He  Himself  afterwards  ex- 
plained, the  question  has  arisen  at  what  time 
it  is  best,  by  literal  performance  of  this  work, 
to  give  public  instruction  in  the  important 
duty  {i.  e.,  humility)  which  it  illustrates,  and 
this  time  (of  Lent)  was  suggested  in  order  that 
the  lesson  taught  by  it  might  make  a  deeper 
and  more  serious  impression.  Many,  however, 
have  not  accepted  this  as  a  custom,  lest  it 
should  be  thought  to  belong  to  the  ordinance 
of  Baptism ;  and  some  have  not  hesitated  to 
deny  it  any  place  among  our  ceremonies." 
We  may  perhaps  accept  what  a  wise  commen- 
tator— Alford — remarks,  that  ''  the  custom  of 
literally  and  ceremonially  washing  the  feet  in 
obedience  to  this  commandment  is  not  found 
before  the  fourth  century."  Since  then  it  has 
been  adopted  for  a  time  in  parts  of  the  Church, 
and  Maundy  Thursday  has  been  the  day  set 
apart  for  the  fulfilment  of  this  command.  The 
present  Bishop  of  Durham  in   his  commentary 


Holy   Week,  125 

on  St.  John's  Gospel  sums  up  the  practice 
historically  by  saying,  ''  By  a  decree  of  the 
XVIIIth  Council  of  Toledo,  694,  it  {i.  e.,  feet- 
washing)  was  made  obligatory  on  the  Thurs- 
day in  Holy  Week  '  throughout  the  churches 
of  Spain  and  Gaul.'  The  practice  was  contin- 
ued in  England  by  English  sovereigns  till  the 
reign  of  James  II. ;  and  as  late  as  1731  the 
Lord  High  Almoner  washed  the  feet  of  the 
recipients  of  the  royal  gifts  at  Whitehall  on 
Maundy  Thursday."  Even  to  this  day, 
though  the  feet-washing  is  discontinued,  there 
is  still  in  use  in  the  Chapel  Royal  at  Whitehall 
an  "  ofifice  for  the  Royal  Maundy,"  where  on 
Maundy  Thursday  there  are  distributed  gifts 
of  money  and  clothing  to  a  certain  number  of 
poor  men  and  women,  and  during  the  distribu- 
tion the  bishop  who  acts  as  the  Queen's 
Almoner,  and  his  assistant  are  girded  with 
long  linen  towels.  The  custom  of  the  feet- 
washing  is  still  retained  at  St.  Peter's,  Rome, 
and  the  practice  is  also  maintained  by  certain 
Christian   sects  such  as  the   Mennonites,  and 


126  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

until  recently  by  the  United  Brethren.  The 
literal  practice  and  its  obligation  we  have  seen 
were  not  required  as  a  universal  custom  in  the 
early  Church,  nor  indeed  was  it  made  a  matter 
of  church  appointment  in  any  churches  until 
the  seventh  century  in  those  of  Gaul  and 
Spain. 

(c)  Let  us  now  pass  on  to  consider  the 
second  act  of  our  Lord  on  the  Thursday  before 
His  crucifixion,  viz.  that  of  the  institution  of 
the  Last  Supper.  It  had  become  the  custom 
quite  early  in  the  history  of  the  Christian 
Church  to  celebrate  the  Lord's  Supper  in  the 
morning — a  custom  at  first  due  more  perhaps 
to  political  exigencies  than  to  any  doctrinal 
significance — but  on  this  great  fifth  day  "  in 
some  of  the  Latin  churches,  the  communion 
was  administered  in  the  evening  after  supper, 
in  imitation  of  the  communion  of  the  apostles 
at  our  Lord's  last  supper."  In  some  places 
St.  Augustine  tells  us  the  communion  "was 
administered  twice  on  this  day ;  in  the  morn- 
ing for  the  sake  of  such  as  could  not  keep  the 


Holy   Week.  127 

day  a  fast ;  and  in  the  evening  for  those  that 
fasted  till  evening,  when  they  ended  their  fast 
and  received  the  communion  after  supper." 
Thus  we  see  that  though  custom  had  caused 
the  celebration  of  the  communion  to  take 
place  in  the  morning,  there  were  exceptions  to 
the  rule,  and  the  great  exception  was  on  this 
Maundy  Thursday  evening.  We  know  the 
strong  objections  to  evening  communion  in 
our  Church,  and  yet  if  to-day  in  any  of  our 
parish  churches  this  practice  should  be  main- 
tained according  to  the  liberty  and  also  preva- 
lent practice  of  the  early  Church,  it  would  ill 
become  us  to  criticise  or  condemn  those  who 
so  desire  on  this  day  to  commemorate  in  the 
evening  the  first  institution  of  this  sacrament. 
Certainly  the  precedent  and  practice  of  the 
primitive  Church  would  countenance  the  cus- 
tom. There  are  some  weighty  words  on  this 
subject  in  a  recently  published  book  of  the 
Bishop  of  Manchester. 

(d)  Again,  this  great  Thursday  was  marked 
by  other  usages.     On  this  day  the  candidates 


T2S  Lent — Past  and  Present, 

for  baptism  "  publicly  rehearsed  the  creed  be- 
fore the  Bishop  or  Presbyter  in  the  church," 
and  until  the  close  of  the  fifth  or  the  beginning 
of  the  sixth  century  this  was  the  only  occa- 
sion in  the  year  when  the  creed  was  openly 
recited.  It  was  not  until  the  close  of  the  fifth 
or  the  beginning  of  the  sixth  century  that  it 
became  the  practice  to  regularly  recite  the 
Nicene  Creed  in  the  Communion  Office,  at 
which  time  it  was  introduced  according  to 
some  authorities  by  Peter  the  Fuller,  the  intru- 
ding patriarch  of  Antioch  ;  according  to  other 
authorities  by  Timothy,  Bishop  of  Constanti- 
nople. And  singularly  both  these  bishops  are 
charged  with  being  Monophysites. 

{/)  Again,  this  great  Thursday  was  the  day 
set  apart  for  the  solemn  ablutions  of  the  candi- 
dates for  baptism  on  Easter-even.  St.  Augus- 
tine replying  to  some  questions  on  this  custom 
says,  '■'■  If  you  ask  me  whence  originated  the 
custom  of  using  the  bath  on  (this)  day,  nothing 
occurs  to  me  when  I  think  of  it  as  more  likely 
than  that  it  was  to  avoid  the  offence  to  decency 


Holy   Week.  129 

which  must  have  been  given  at  the  Baptismal 
font,  if  the  bodies  of"  those  to  whom  that  rite 
was  to  be  administered  were  not  washed  on 
some  preceding  day  from  the  uncleanness  con- 
sequent upon  their  strict  abstinence  from 
ablutions  during  Lent."  It  was  also  the  prac- 
tice with  many  who  had  already  been  baptized; 
to  abstain  from  bathing  through  Lent,  think- 
ing they  thereby  practiced  greater  self-disci- 
pline,  and  they  too  took  this  day  as  the  day  for 
ending  this  form  of  abstinence  by  bathing. 

(/)  Once  more,  the  great  fifth  day— though 
some  defer  the  matter  until  the  following  day 
— was  the  day  on  which  penitents  were  ab- 
solved or  reconciled.  ''All  the  doors  (of  the 
church)  were  thrown  open  to  intimate  that 
penitent  offenders,  whether  they  came  from 
the  East  or  from  the  West,  from  the  North  or 
from  the  South,  or  from  whatever  quarter  of 
the  world,  would  be  received  into  the  bosom  of 
the  Church,  and  into  the  arms  of  divine  mercy." 

{g)  Also  "  on  this  day  it  was  customary  for 
servants  to  receive  the  communion." 


130  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

There  are  still  the  usages  of  Good  Friday, 
and  the  great  Sabbath  or  Easter-even  to  be 
considered,  but  these  we  will  postpone  to  the 
next  address. 

In  conclusion  I  would  remark  that  of  the 
customs  we  have  considered  some  have  disap- 
peared and  been  discontinued  because  they 
were  of  temporary  value ;  some  have  been 
retained  because  of  their  permanent  worth. 
What  we  need  to  remember  at  this  day  is  that 
usages  arose  according  to  needs  and  circum- 
stances, that  when  these  needs  ceased  naturally 
the  usages  ceased.  Again,  we  must  notice  that 
the  usages  we  have  considered  prevailed  chiefly 
in  the  East,  and  in  the  undivided  Church.  But 
to-day  we  live  under  different  conditions  and 
circumstances,  and  our  aim  should  be  not  to 
imitate  in  any  particular  the  usage  of  the 
ancient  Church,  a  practice  perhaps  established 
to  meet  a  certain  temporary  need,  or  passing 
phase  of  thought ;  but  to  endeavor  to  separate 
the  essential  from  the  non-essential,  and  main- 
taining the  same  principles  and  spirit  of  the 


Holy   Week.  1 3 1 

Lenten  season  which  prevailed  in  early  days, 
to  apply  that  spirit  and  those  principles  under 
necessary  modifications  and  if  necessary  entirely 
different  usages,  to  our  modern  needs  and  cir- 
cumstances. We  notice  plainly  that  owing  to 
our  changed  modes  of  life,  many  of  the 
ancient  usages  would  to-day  find  no  room  for 
exercise,  no  point  of  contact  in  our  life.  The 
practice  of  feet-washing  had  a  certain  signifi- 
cance in  the  East,  where  ceremonial  ablutions 
were  of  such  consequence,  and  perhaps  the 
practice  even  to-day  in  the  Orient  might  be 
maintained  with  advantage  ;  but  in  the  West, 
where  the  practice  had  become  so  formal  and 
stiffened  with  ceremonial,  the  principle  it  was  de- 
signed to  inculcate,  viz,  humility,  may  perhaps 
best  be  practiced  by  disregarding  rather  than 
observing  the  custom.  The  practice  of  humility 
may  well  find  expression  in  some  other  rite 
more  applicable  to  and  needed  for  our  times 
and  life.  So  again  the  practice  of  the  ablution 
of  the  catechumens  on  this  day  has  ceased  to 
have  any  value  in  the  West,  because  not  only 


132  Le7it — Past  and  Present, 

is  infant  baptism  more  extensively  practiced, 
but  also  the  custom  of  deferring  baptism  until 
Easter  has  largely  passed  away;  and  the 
further  belief  that  abstinence  from  bathing  is 
a  mark  of  self-discipline  or  a  means  to  the 
attainment  of  a  higher  state  of  sanctity  has 
now  little  credence  or  reception  among  Chris- 
tians, who  believe  that  '■'■  cleanliness  is  next  to 
godliness,"  a  phrase  often  supposed  by  some 
to  be  of  scriptural  authority. 

In  the  face  of  diversity  of  usage  and  of 
opinion  as  to  the  value  of  the  retention  or 
disuse  of  certain  customs  and  observances  of 
the  early  Church  in  the  present  day,  no  word 
seems  to  me  more  fitting  to  recall  and  act  upon 
than  that  written  now  nearly  1300  years  ago 
by  Gregory  the  Great,  Bishop  of  Rome,  to 
Augustine,  monk  and  first  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, concerning  this  very  Anglican  Church  of 
which  we  are  members.  Augustine  on  his 
arrival  in  England  found  that  though  the 
Saxons  and  Angles  were  heathen,  yet  there 
was  in   existence  a  British   Church.     But   its 


Holy  Week.  133 

customs  differed  in  many  respects  from  those 
to  which  Augustine,  the  monk  of  Rome,  was 
accustomed.  Accordingly  he  writes  to  Gregory 
for  counsel  and  advice,  and  that  large  and  wise 
minded  man — however  we  may  differ  in  regard 
to  his  ambitious  designs — wrote  back  to  Aug- 
ustine :  *'  You,  my  brother,  are  acquainted  with 
the  customs  of  the  Roman  Church,  in  which 
you  were  brought  up.  But  it  is  my  pleasure 
that  if  you  have  found  anything  either  in  the 
Roman,  or  the  Galilean,  or  any  other  Church 
which  may  be  more  acceptable  to  Almighty 
God,  you  carefully  make  choice  of  the  same  ; 
and  sedulously  teach  the  Church  of  the  Eng- 
lish \i.  e.  the  Church  of  the  Saxons  and  Angles, 
not  the  British  Church]  which  is  at  present 
new  in  the  faith,  whatsoever  you  can  gather 
from  the  several  Churches.  For  things  are  not 
to  be  loved  for  the  sake  of  places,  but  places 
for  the  sake  of  good  things.  Select  therefore 
from  each  Church  those  things  that  are  pious, 
religious,  and  correct." 

The   same  wise  words  are    needed    to-day. 


134  Lent — Past  and  Present, 

Many  would  enforce  one  and  only  one  usage 
or  custom,  forgetting  that  the  practice  of  the 
primitive  Church  was  to  allow  great  diversity  of 
customs ;  others  again  would  object  to  all 
ancient  usages,  these  also  forgetting  that  unre- 
strained individual  liberty  most  frequently 
degenerates  unto  lawless  license.  The  true 
spirit  is,  I  think,  to  accept  as  nearly  as  we  can 
the  customs  and  usages  of  the  early  Church 
which  have  been  found  universally  applicable,  i. 
e.y  which  are  applicable  to  our  unchanged  needs 
as  human  beings  in  this  remote  land,  and  in 
these  later  years,  and  which  the  Church  to-day 
has  accepted  and  sanctioned  ;  but  to  forego 
without  pain  or  complaint  all  those  practices 
and  minute  rites  and  usages  which  from  the 
nature  of  the  case  could  only  be  local  and  tem- 
porary. If  we  accept  the  order  and  the  cus- 
toms of  the  Church  in  this  loyal  spirit,  we  shall 
grant  that  there  may  be  room  for  great  diversity 
of  customs  and  usages  in  God's  Church  through- 
out all  the  world,  and  yet  with  all  this  varia- 
tion we  may  maintain  our  belief  in  "  one  body 


Holy  Week  135 

and  one  spirit,  one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism, 
one  God  and  Father  of  all,  who  is  above  all, 
and  through  all,  and  in  us  all." 


VI. 

Holy  Week. 


VI. 

HOLY  WEEK. 

Now  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread  drew  nigh,  which 
is  called  the  Passover.    Liike  xxii.  i. 

AS  in  the  Jewish  Church  the  feast  of  the 
Passover  v^hich  commemorated  the  great 
deliverance  from  Egypt  was  celebrated  by 
special  preparations,  so  too  as  we  draw  near 
to  the  commemoration  of  the  great  spiritual 
deliverance  of  mankind  by  the  sacrifice  of  the 
Saviour  on  the  cross,  the  Church  has  always 
made  special  preparation  for  that  event,  and 
has  commemorated  it  in  most  solemn  manner. 
We  have  considered  the  general  observances 
of  the  early  Church  in  connection  with  Holy 
Week,  and  also  the  special  observances  con- 
nected with  the  great  Thursday  of  this  week, 
to-day  we  shall  consider  the  special  observances 


140  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

connected  with  the  remaining  two  days  therein, 
and  close  our  Lenten  studies  with  some 
general  reflections  on  the  use  and  the  abuse  of 
Lent. 

L  First  we  will  consider  the  names  given  to 
the  Friday  of  Holy  Week.  There  have  been 
many  names  given  to  this  day,  the  earliest 
being  as  was  most  natural  connected  with  the 
Jewish  Passover,  and  the  event  which  occurred 
on  this  day.  One  of  the  earliest  names  there- 
fore given  to  Friday  in  Holy  Week  is  **the 
day  of  the  preparation,"  or  as  some  would 
translate  "■  the  day  of  the  Passover,"  thus  indi- 
cating the  connection  of  the  day  of  the  atone- 
ment for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world  with  the 
Jewish  Passover  when  Israel  was  redeemed 
out  of  Egyptian  bondage.  Others  again,  leav- 
ing out  of  sight  the  parallel  to  Jewish  history, 
fastened  their  thoughts  more  on  the  actual 
event  of  the  day  in  connection  with  our  Lord's 
life  and  work,  accordingly  this  Friday  is  also 
known  as  "  the  day  of  our  Lord's  passion,"  or 
"  Passion   day."     ''  In   early  English  times  this 


Holy   Week.  141 

Friday  was  known  as  Long  Friday,  called  so 
perhaps  on  account  of  the  long  fastings  and 
offices  they  then  used."  But  the  name  by 
which  this  Friday  has  now  been  best  known 
for  many  centuries  among  English  speaking 
Christians  is  '*  Good  Friday,"  called  so  "  from 
the  blessed  effects  of  our  Saviour's  sufferings, 
which  are  the  ground  of  all  our  joy  ;  and  from 
those  unspeakable  good  things  he  hath  pur- 
chased for  us  by  his  death."  So  much  for  the 
name. 

From  the  earliest  times  Good  Friday  has 
been  observed  with  great  solemnity.  "  Indeed, 
this  day  was  one  of  those  two  great  days  which 
all  Christians  in  general  thought  themselves 
obliged  strictly  to  observe."  ''  Even  those 
who  kept  no  other  Lent,  religiously  observed 
this  day  and  the  following." 

It  was  a  day  too  when  fasting  was  strictly 
kept  and  a  general  attendance  at  divine  service 
was  practiced.  Work  also  ceased  on  this  day, 
except  works  of  charity. 

Again,  on  this  day,  according  to  some  authori- 


142  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

ties,  and  not  on  the  day  preceding,  penitents 
who  ''  had  completed  their  penance  for  one, 
two,  three  years  or  more  the  Lent  preceding, 
were  absolved."  ''  Nor  was  it  only  particular 
absolutions  that  were  granted  to  public  peni- 
tents on  this  day  of  the  Passion,  but  a  general 
absolution  or  indulgence  was  proclaimed  to  all 
the  people  observing  the  day  with  fastings, 
prayers,  and  true  contrition  or  compunction.'* 
Yet  in  time  laxity  crept  in,  and  some  churches 
omitted  the  observance  of  these  strict  acts  of 
devotion.  On  this  day  of  the  Lord's  passion, 
''  the  church  doors  were  shut  up,  and  no  divine 
service  performed."  This  laxity  had  to  be  cor- 
rected by  ecclesiastical  censure,  and  in  Spain, 
where  this  loss  of  piety  and  decadence  of 
spirituality  was  specially  marked,  a  canon  had 
to  be  passed,  requiring  the  opening  of  churches 
for  service  on  this  day.  This  canon  was 
passed  about  the  seventh  century. 

We  come  now  to  consider  a  custom  which 
bears  more  closely  upon  our  own  practice,  in 
regard  to  the  administration  of  the  Holy  Com- 


Holy   Week.  143 

munion  on  Good  Friday.  The  custom  largely 
prevails  in  our  Church  to  omit  the  administra- 
tion of  the  Holy  Communion  on  Good  Friday. 
Just  why,  it  would  puzzle  many  to  say.  One 
reason  is,  perhaps  many  of  us  think  that  this 
omission  has  always  been  the  rule  of  the 
Church.  But  has  it?  If  we  are  to  credit  the 
early  Fathers  we  are  led  to  believe  that  with 
them  even  on  Good  Friday  there  was  no  omis- 
sion. As  early  as  the  days  of  TertuUian  {cir. 
145-220)  we  read  that  in  the  African  Church 
— and  this  would  in  great  measure  involve  the 
whole  of  Latin  Christianity — "  the  Eucharist 
was  received  on  Sundays,  the  fifty  days  be- 
tween Easter  and  Pentecost  which  were  but 
one  continual  festival,  and  all  their  stationary 
days,  i.  e,  Wednesdays  and  Fridays  in  every 
week  throughout  the  year."  TertuUian  says 
expressly  of  these  Wednesdays  and  Fridays 
''  that  they  were  always  observed  with  receiv- 
ing the  Eucharist."  In  the  Eastern  Church 
St.  Basil  also  agrees  with  TertuUian  in  making 
these  stationary  days  ''days  of  communion," 


144  Z^;/^ — Past  and  Present. 

and  as  Saturday  was  also  always  a  feast  day  in 
the  Eastern  Church  it  appears  *'  that  in  many 
churches  they  had  the  Communion  four  times 
every  week — on  Wednesdays,  Fridays,  Satur- 
days and  Sundays."  Further,  if  we  are  to 
take  literally  and  not  rhetorically  many  of  the 
passages  from  St.  Chrysostom  and  St.  Augus- 
tine we  may  well  believe  that  the  communion 
was  administered  every  day  in  the  year.  I 
mention  this  fact  not  that  I  deem  it  necessary 
we  should  do  exactly  as  did  the  primitive 
Church,  nor  that  we  should  reproduce  every 
practice  and  adopt  every  usage  which  then 
prevailed,  but  simply  to  show  what  was  the 
actual  custom  and  thereby  pass  to  the  consid- 
eration of  the  custom  which  to-day  prevails  so 
largely,  if  not  wholly  with  us,  of  omitting  the 
administration  of  the  communion  on  Good 
Friday.  If  the  omission  is  based  as  it  is  by 
some  on  the  alleged  practice  of  the  primitive 
Church,  the  omission  is  erroneously  based,  be- 
cause as  I  have  shown,  the  writings  of  the  Fath- 
ers of  the  early  Church  would  lead  us  to  believe 


Holy   Week.  145 

that  the  Communion  was  not  omitted  on  this 
day.  It  is  well  to  be  informed  of  this,  that  we 
may  not  erroneously  attribute  our  usage  to 
ancient  practice  ;  and  further,  it  would  be  well 
to  remember  that  oftentimes  when  we  are  said 
to  be  following  ancient  usage,  we  are  really  de- 
parting from  it. 

Once  more,  in  the  early  Latin  Church  the 
Sacramentary  of  Gregory  clearly  indicates  that 
there  was  Communion  on  Good  Friday.  In 
fact,  as  a  learned  English  divine — Blunt — says, 
Communion  "  on  this  day  was  the  prevailing 
custom  of  the  Church  until  the  tenth  century 
at  least." 

Again,  if  we  are  to  be  guided  by  the  implicit 
teaching  of  the  English  Church,  according  to 
her  formularies,  and  also  according  to  our 
own,  we  would  revive  the  Communion  on 
Good  Friday.  We  know  how  the  appointment 
of  a  Collect,  Epistle,  and  Gospel  for  any  day  has 
so  often  been  construed  to  imply  that  the 
Church  thereby  presupposes  a  celebration  on 
that  day  ;  if  this  be  a  valid  inference  then  we 


146  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

see  how  the  appointment  of  Collects,  Epistle, 
and  Gospel  for  Good  Friday  would  point  to  the 
intention  of  the  English  Church,  and  also  our 
own. 

Next,  when  we  consider  what  the  Com- 
munion implies,  surely  there  can  be  no  day  of 
the  year  when  the  Communion  could  be  or 
ought  to  be  more  fitly  administered  than  on 
the  day  on  which  our  redemption  was  wrought 
by  the  sacrifice  on  the  cross,  the  offering  up  of 
the  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ.  It  has,  I  say, 
become  customary  with  us  to  omit  the  Com- 
munion on  Good  Friday,  but  if  we  do  omit  it, 
let  us  remember  it  is  a  late  usage,  not  that  of 
the  primitive  Church,  and  if  we  really  desire  to 
follow  the  ancient  Church  in  all  her  practices, 
then  we  should  most  certainly  restore  this  of  a 
Communion  on  Good  Friday.  But  as  I  have 
endeavored  to  show  during  this  course  of  stud- 
ies our  aim  is  not  to  blindly  imitate  any  special 
practice,  but  to  reasonably  adopt  with  the  lib- 
erty we  possess  those  principles  and  practices  of 
the  early  Church  which  we  can  adopt  and  fit  to 


Holy   Week.  147 

our  needs  and  circumstances.  With  the  liberty 
wherewith  Christ  has  made  us  free  we  are 
privileged  to  exercise  our  judgment  and  base 
our  methods  and  practices  largely  on  our  ex- 
perience and  needs.  If,  therefore,  to-day  we 
omit  the  Communion  on  Good  Friday,  we  are 
justified  in  so  doing  if  we  base  our  omission  on 
the  possession  of  the  privilege  of  a  true  branch 
of  God's  Church  to  adopt  its  customs  to  its 
times  and  needs ;  only  when  we  do  so  let  us 
distinctly  remember  our  present  usage  is  not 
that  of  the  primitive  Church. 

11.  {pi)  Let  us  now  pass  to  the  consideration 
of  the  Saturday  in  Holy  Week.  We  know  it 
by  the  name  of  Easter-even,  but  in  the  early 
Church  it  was  known  as  the  "  Great  Sabbath." 
Here  let  me  add  a  word  of  caution  to  remind 
you  that  in  all  early  use  of  this  word  Sabbath, 
the  primitive  Church  always  meant  by  it  Satur- 
day, and  not  Sunday  as  many  Christians  to-day 
mean  when  they  use  the  word.  This  great 
Sabbath  had  many  special  observances  con- 
nected with  it,  and  necessarily  so,  as  it  was  the 


148  Lent — Past  and  Present, 

link,  so  to  speak,  between  the  days  of  Lent  of 
austerity,  fasting  and  humiliation,  and  Easter, 
which  was  the  great  day  of  thanksgiving.  This 
Great  Sabbath  therefore  bears  a  twofold  aspect 
— one  of  humiliation  and  one  of  rejoicing.  It 
looks  back  to  the  cross,  and  forward  to  the  res- 
urrection. 

{b)  Let  us  consider  first  what  we  may  call 
its  Lenten  aspect.  This  was  the  only  Satur- 
day or  Sabbath  in  the  year  that  was  ob- 
served as  a  fast  by  the  Eastern  Church,  and 
also  by  some  of  the  Westerns.  The  day  was 
kept  most  solemnly.  In  the  well-known  Con- 
stitutions of  the  Holy  Apostles  we  read,  '*  Do 
ye  who  are  able  fast  the  day  of  the  preparation 
\i.  e.  Good  Friday]  and  the  Sabbath  day 
entirely,  tasting  nothing  until  the  cock-crowing 
of  the  night :  but  if  anyone  is  not  able  to  join 
them  both  together  \i.  e.  to  fast  both  Good 
Friday  and  Saturday]  at  least  let  him  observe 
the  Sabbath  day."  Thus  sacredly  was  this 
Sabbath  observed  throughout  the  Church,  and 
the    fast   continued   till   cock-crowing   on    the 


Holy  Week,  H9 

morning   of  Easter,  which   was  the   supposed 
time  of  our  Lord's  resurrection. 

(c)  Again,  it  was  the  custom  to  pass  this  night 
of  the  "  great  "  Sabbath  as  a  vigil,  or  season 
of  watch  in  the  Church,  "  to  perform  all  parts 
of  divine  service,  psalmody,  reading  the  scrip- 
tures, the  law,  the  prophets  and  the  gospels, 
praying  and  preaching."  The  reason  given  for 
this  watching  was  twofold ;  ''because  on  this 
night  our  Lord  was  raised  to  life  again  after 
His  Passion ;  and  next,  because  on  the  same 
night  he  was  expected  to  return  to  receive  the 
kingdom  of  the  world."  As  St.  Jerome  says, 
"  It  was  a  tradition  among  the  Jews,  that 
Christ  would  come  at  midnight,  as  He  did  upon 
the  Egyptians  at  the  time  of  the  Passover," 
and  so  he  thinks  the  custom  arose  "  not  to 
dismiss  the  people  on  the  Paschal  vigil  before 
midnight,  expecting  the  coming  of  Christ,  after 
which,  presuming  on  security,  they  kept  the 
day  a  festival." 

(d)  As  to  the  more  joyful  aspect  of  this  day, 
we  learn  that  this  vigil  after  the  persecution  of 


150  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

Christians  had  ceased,  and  the  State  and 
Church  had  become  allied,  was  kept  with  great 
pomp.  Eusebius  tells  us  that  in  the  time  of 
Constantine  the  emperor  ''set  up  lofty  pillars 
of  wax  to  burn  as  torches  all  over  the  city,  and 
lamps  burning  in  all  places  so  that  the  night 
seemed  to  outshine  the  sun  at  noon-day." 
And  Gregory  Nazianzen  speaks  of  this  custom 
of  setting  up  lamps  and  torches  in  churches 
and  private  houses  as  symbolical  "  forerunners 
of  that  great  Light,  the  Sun  of  Righteousness, 
arising  on  the  world  on  Easter  day." 

(e)  Then  there  was  one  more  special  custom 
connected  with  this  great  Saturday,  the  last 
which  we  shall  note.  This  was  the  great  day 
and  night  for  baptizing  catechumens  who  had 
been  prepared  by  instruction  and  discipline 
during  the  preceding  days  of  Lent.  It  had 
become  the  custom  in  the  early  Church  after 
the  first  century  and  a  half  to  defer  the  bap- 
tism of  catechumens.  There  were  two  leading 
reasons  for  this  delay.  One  was  **  to  give 
sufficient  time  to  the  Catechumens  to  prepare 


Holy   Week.  i5i 

them  for  baptism ;    the   other  to  reform  their 
defection,  when  they  happened  to  turn  lapsers 
or  apostates  before  their  baptism."     We  must 
remember  that  to  be  a  Christian  in  the  first 
three  centuries  of  our  era  meant  the  possibility 
of  being,  and  the  willingness  to  be  at  any  time 
tried,  and  persecuted,  and  put  to  death  ;   thus 
the   early  Church  desired  by  a  long  test  before 
baptism  to  have  some  partial  assurance  that 
the  catechumens  were    sincere,  and  would    if 
need  be  suffer  martyrdom  for  the  faith.     There 
had  therefore  gradually  sprung   up  the  custom 
of  deferring  baptism  to  certain  seasons,  and  of 
the  three  special  times  of  Epiphany,  Easter  and 
Pentecost,    the   great    Sabbath   before    Easter 
was    the   time     most    favored.     We    read    of 
thousands  being  baptized  at  this  season,  in  fact 
on  one  special   occasion  during  the   episcopal 
rule  of  St.  Chrysostom,  we  hear  of  about  three 
thousand  being  baptized  on  one  great  Sabbath 
in  Constantinople,  notwithstanding  the  lawless- 
ness and  the  assaults  of   the   soldiery    on   the 
churches  on  that  day.     Thus  the  catechumens 


152  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

having  been  baptized  on  this  day  or  night  be- 
fore Easter,  **  were  made  complete  Christians, 
and  admitted  to  the  Communion  "  on  Easter 
day. 

I  think  we  see  a  reason  why  the  "  great  "  Sab- 
bath before  Easter  was  the  time  most  favored 
for  baptism.  This  was  the  time  when  the 
Lord  was  in  the  tomb  just  before  His  resurrec- 
tion, and  from  the  earliest  days  of  the  apostles 
baptism  has  been  connected  with  the  death 
and  resurrection  of  Christ.  Thus  St.  Paul 
writing  to  the  Romans  says,  *'  Know  ye  not 
that  so  many  of  us  as  were  baptized  into  Jesus 
Christ  were  baptized  into  His  death  ?  There- 
fore we  are  buried  with  Him  by  baptism  into 
death  ;  that  like  as  Christ  was  raised  up  from 
the  dead  by  the  glory  of  the  Father,  even  so 
we  also  should  walk  in  newness  of  life.  For 
if  we  have  been  planted  together  in  the  like- 
ness of  His  death,  we  shall  be  also  in  the 
likeness  of  His  resurrection."  Once  again, 
writing  to  the  Colossians  he  tells  them  that 
they    are    ''  buried    with    Christ   in    baptism. 


Holy   Week.  153 

wherein  also  ye  are  risen  with  Him  through 
the  faith  of  the  operation  of  God,  who  hath 
raised  Him  from  the  dead."  Thus  as  baptism 
was  typical  of  the  death  and  resurrection  of 
Christ,  so  naturally  Christians  desired  to  be 
baptized  at  the  time  when  the  Church  specially 
commemorated  those  events  in  our  Lord's  life; 
and  therefore  what  day  could  be  more  fitly 
adapted  than  that  which  came  between  His 
death  and  resurrection — the  Great  Sabbath 
following  Good  Friday  and  preceding  Easter  ? 

Here  we  bring  our  studies  of  this  subject  to 
a  close.  We  have  endeavored  during  these 
Sunday  mornings  in  Lent  to  learn  of  the  early 
origin  of  Lent,  its  purpose,  customs  and  ob- 
servances. I  hope  those  of  us  who  have  care- 
fully followed  the  subject  will  be  better  able 
than  ever  to  give  a  reason  for  our  keeping  of 
Lent,  its  origin,  and  the  origin  of  many  of  its 
observances. 

HL  And  now  to  sum  up  for  ourselves  a 
few  lessons  from  the  study  in  which  we  have 
been  engaged,  we  gather,  I  think,  two  leading 


154  LeJit — Past  and  Present. 

thoughts:  that  in  connection  with  Lent  there 
are  first,  certain  permanent  abiding  principles 
deep  as  our  nature  which  we  need  to  maintain 
and  apply ;  and  secondly,  that  connected  with 
the  observance  of  Lent  in  the  early  Church 
were  customs  and  usages  which  could  only  be 
of  a  temporary  character.  They  were  acci- 
dental ;  that  is,  adapted  to  the  time,  place,  cir- 
cumstances, political  and  social  conditions  of 
the  age.  Some  of  these  we  are  justified  to-day 
in  maintaining ;  some  owing  to  our  changed 
circumstances  and  needs  we  cannot  maintain. 
The  truth  we  need  to  learn  is  that  the  principle 
which  underlies  the  appointment  of  a  Lenten 
fast  is  of  more  importance  than  the  garment 
of  usage  which  has  been  wrapped  about  it. 
We  need  to  consider  and  weigh  more  why  the 
season  was  observed  than  how  it  was  observed. 
This  leads  us  to  remember  that  there  may  be 
such  a  thing  as  the  abuse  as  well  as  the  use  of 
Lent. 

We  will  briefly  consider  the  use  of  Lent,  and 
thereby  gather  certain  indications  of  its  abuse. 


Holy  Week.  i55 

The  use  of  Lent  may  be  regarded  in  two 
aspects :  first,  to  the  individual ;  and  secondly, 
to  the  Church  and  to  the  world. 

First,  as  to  the   individual.     We  learn   the 
need  and  importance  of  some  definite  time   for 
special  self-examination,  of  deepening  our  spir- 
itual life  ;  and  we  need  this  season  appointed 
for  us  by  some  external  authority,  else  what 
can  be  done  by  us  at  any  time,  will  most  likely 
be  done  at  no  time.     We  need  then  some  time 
formally  set  apart  for  us  for  special  self-exami- 
nation, and  for  deepening  our  spiritualHfe,  and 
this  is  to  be  done  in  two  ways :  first,  by  a  sense 
of  sin,  and  secondly,  by  a  realization   of  God's 
love.     The  sense  of  sin  will  lead   to  penitence, 
self-discipline,  and  more  frequent  supplication  ; 
the  realization  of    God's    love   will   lead    to  a 
more  joyful  spirit,  a  deeper  thankfulness,  and 
so  practically  to   enlarged  alms-giving,  greater 
charity,  a  readier  spirit  of  forgiveness,  a  delight 
in  communion  with  God.     The  Church,  there- 
fore, has  for  both   these   ends   appointed    in- 
creased services  whereby  we  may  express  our 


156  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

repentance  and  devotion ;  and  for  our  joy- 
appointed  increased  opportunities  for  alms- 
giving and  deeds  of  mercy. 

And — to  be  brief — in  the  next  aspect  as  to 
the  Church  and  the  world.  The  Church  as  a 
whole,  apart  from  the  individual,  needs  a  sea- 
son of  penitence  and  prayer,  needs  to  be- 
moan its  lukewarmness  and  worldliness,  needs 
to  draw  deeper  from  the  fountain  of  truth, 
needs  to  have  its  light  burn  brightly,  else  He 
who  walks  among  the  golden  candlesticks 
remove  our  candlestick.  Yes,  the  Church  itself 
needs  a  season  in  which  to  be  urged  to  a 
deeper  devotion  and  to  a  holier  life,  and  this 
too  not  only  for  itself,  but  also  for  the  sake  of 
the  world.  It  needs  its  missionary  spirit  to 
be  more  deeply  stirred  and  quickened,  to  be 
reminded  that  one  of  the  essential  characteris- 
tics which  it  must  possess  is  to  be  a  missionary 
Church,  and  that  if  it  fails  in  this  respect  it 
ceases  to  be  a  Church  ;  yes,  to  remember  that 
its  only  ground  of  existence,  the  end  for 
which  it  was  established  by  the  Blessed  Sav- 


Holy   Week.  157 

iour  and  our  Lord  and  God,  was  that  it  might 
go  and  preach  the  gospel  to,  and  make  disci- 
ples of  all  nations.  Deeper  internal  consecra- 
tion, and  a  more  intense  missionary  spirit  and 
zeal  are  the  uses  of  Lent  for  the  Church,  and 
through  it  to  the  world.  Only  as  the  Church  is 
true  to  its  character  and  mission,  can  the 
world  be  evangelized,  purified,  and  brought 
to  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth,  when  all  the 
kingdoms  of  this  world  shall  become  the  king- 
doms of  our  God  and  His  Christ,  and  the 
earth  shall  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  the 
Lord  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea. 

So  much  then  in  brief  for  the  use  of  Lent ; 
but  we  see  that  there  may  be  abuses  as  well, 
and  the  first  is  the  danger  arising  from  the 
perfunctory  use  of  the  season.  Indeed  we 
are  apt  from  its  annual  occurrence  to  look 
upon  it  as  a  season  much  as  the  annual  holi- 
day season,  when  the  great  exodus  abroad 
takes  place,  or  the  annual  flight  from  our  larger 
cities  to  seaside  or  mountain  resorts,  or  to 
quiet  secluded   country  villages.     Because  of 


158  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

this  perfunctory  use  of  the  season  we  yield  a 
very  formal  conformity  to  the  observances  of 
Lent,  and  in  consequence  the  services,  the 
modes  of  discipline  are  apt  to  grow  isksome. 
We  chafe  and  fret  under  them,  and  instead  of 
deriving  good  we  may  derive  harm. 

Onoe  again,  another  abuse  is  that  we  limit 
our  vision  and  our  purpose.  We  so  often 
regard  the  Lenten  season  as  a  season  absolutely 
isolated  both  in  time  and  in  its  spiritual  rela- 
tions to  that  portion  of  our  life  which  precedes 
or  succeeds  it.  And  so  from  the  wildest 
frivolity  or  levity  we  may  enter  upon  the  most 
sober  and  serious  of  observances,  fasts  and 
discipline,  and  then  when  the  joyful  Easter 
morn  breaks  we  cast  aside  all  these  observ- 
ances as  weeds  of  which  we  are  only  too  glad 
to  be  rid,  and  by  a  renewed  or  indeed  in- 
creased wildness  of  frivolity  and  levity  give  no 
evidence  of  the  deepenmg  of  character,  the 
sobering  of  thought,  the  elevation  of  mind,  the 
spiritual  communion  which  we  professed  to 
have  desired  to  gain  during  the  holy  season. 


Holy   Week,  159 

Ah,  friends !  It  is  not  the  season  of  Lent 
which  is  so  much  blamed  by  the  world  as  the 
inconsistent  conduct  and  character  of  Chris- 
tians, who  having  gone  through  the  austerities 
and  ascetic  practices  of  Lent,  come  forth  no 
whit  better  in  temper  or  life.  And  why? 
Because  of  this  unwholesome  thought  of  dis- 
sociating Lent  and  its  use  from  the  whole  of 
life,  from  what,  has  gone  before,  and  also  from 
what  is  to  follow.  There  has  been  no  thicken- 
ing of  spiritual  diameter.  There  has  been  no 
gain  in  holiness.  Let  it  not  be  so  with  us. 
Yes,  let  me  now  ask  as  we  stand  on  the  thres- 
hold of  the  last  week  of  Lent — now  that  we 
are  to  enter,  as  it  were,  into  the  dark  valley  of 
humiliation,  of  shame;  now  as  Gethsemane 
and  Calvary  and  the  bitter  cross  loom  in  sight — 
ere  this  Lent  has  forever  fled  let  me  ask  what 
has  been  its  gain  for  you  ?  What  has  this 
Lent  done  for  you,  my  brethren  ?  Have  you 
examined  your  lives  more  searchingly  ?  have 
you  confessed  your  sins  to  God  and  asked 
pardon  and  forgiveness  ?  have  you  cast  out  of 


i6o  Lent — Past  and  Present. 

your  hearts  old  passions  and  endeavored  to 
cultivate  the  fruit  of  the  spirit  ?  have  you  torn 
from  your  souls  the  old  hatreds  and  feuds  and 
angers  which  have  been  blackening  and  blast- 
ing them?  have  you  forgiven  your  enemies? 
have  you  striven  after  holiness  ?  have  you 
been  benefited  by  the  services  which  this  holy 
season  has  afforded  you  ?  He  whom  God  has 
placed  over  you  has  longed  over  you  and 
prayed  for  you  that  you  all  might  come  to 
know  the  riches  of  His  love  ;  that  you  all  might 
come  to  desire  His  approval  more  than  aught 
else  ;  that  those  of  you  who  have  not  yet  put  on 
Christ  may  put  Him  on  with  sincerity  and 
truth;  and  that  "you  who  have  put  Him  on 
may  be  edified  and  strengthened  in  your  life, 
adding  grace  to  grace,  and  virtue  to  virtue, 
until  we  all  come  in  ''  the  unity  of  the  faith, 
and  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God  unto 
a  perfect  man  unto  the  measure  of  the  stature 
of  the  fulness  of  Christ.'* 

We  have  yet  one  more  week  of  this  peniten- 
tial season,  the  deepest  and  most  sorrowful  and 


Holy   Week.  i6i 

solemn  ;  let  us  so  use  the  last  remnant  of  this 
Lent — the  holy  week  of  the  Christian  year ; 
may  it  also  be  of  our  lives  as  well ! — that  we 
may  be  ready  to  enter  into  the  supreme  joy  of 
the  resurrection  morn,  and  draw  near  with 
happy  hearts  and  grateful  lives  to  thank  God 
for  His  surpassing  love;  draw  near  in  full 
assurance  of  faith,  having  our  hearts  sprinkled 
from  an  evil  conscience,  and  void  of  offence 
towards  God  and  in  perfect  charity  with  all 
men,  to  the  great  feast  which  He  will  spread 
before  us  in  the  Communion  of  the  Body  and 
Blood  of  His  Son,  our  Lord  and  Saviour. 
Come  then  with  praises  and  thanksgivings  to 
meet  your  Risen  Lord,  who  having  passed 
through  His  shame  and  humiliation  shall  then 
have  risen  to  His  glorious  triumph  and  victory 
over  the  grave  and  death — that  we  too  may 
overcome  sin  and  death,  and  rise  to  the  new- 
ness of  the  risen  and  glorified  life  in  Him. 
God  grant  this  blessedness  to  each  of  us — 
and  in  the  end  life  immortal,  and  joy  in  His 
presence  for  evermore. 


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